Project Number: FP6-IST-507554 Project Title: BROADBAND in ...

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FP6-IST-507554/JCP/R/Pub/D2.2-3.2
building and is responsible for communicating on a point to multi-point basis with subscriber stations located in
business offices and homes. The customer premise equipment (CPE) will connect the base station to a customer
as well; the signal of voice and data is then routed through standard Ethernet cable either directly to a single
computer, or to an 802.11 hot spot or a wired Ethernet LAN.
WiMAX-based solutions include many other advantages, such as robust security features, good QoS (Quality of
Service), and mesh and smart antenna technology that will allow better utilization of the spectrum resources.
Also, the WiMAX-based voice service can work on either traditional Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) voice
or IP-based Voice (VoIP).
WiMAX Connectivity and Solutions
WiMAX allows equipment vendors to create many different types of IEEE802.16-based products, including
various configurations of base stations and customer premise equipment (CPE). WiMAX also allows the
services provider to deliver many types of wireless access services. The WiMAX can be used on a variety of
wireless broadband connections and solutions:
"Last Mile" Broadband Access Solution—Metropolitan-Area Networks (MAN) connections to home and
business office, especially in those areas that were not served by cable or DSL or in areas where the local
telephone company may need a long time to deploy broadband service. The WiMAX-based wireless solution
makes it possible for the service provider to scale-up or scale-down service levels in short times with the client
request.
Backhaul networks for cellular base stations, bypassing the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN); the
cellular service providers can look to wireless backhaul as a more cost-effective alternative. The robust WiMAX
technology makes it a nice choice for backhaul for enterprises such as hotspots as well as point-to-point
backhaul solutions.
Backhaul enterprise connections to the Internet for WiFi hotspots. It will allow users to connect to a wireless
Internet service provider even when they roam outside their home or business office.
A variety of new business services by wireless Internet service provider.
Who Are Working on WiMAX?
The WiMax Forum17 is a non-profit organization formed in 2001 by Nokia Corp. and Ensemble
Communications Inc., etc. Right now, the WiMAX Forum has more than 110 members of equipment,
semiconductor suppliers, and services providers such as Alcatel, AT&T, Fujitsu, Intel, Nortel, Motorola, SBC
and Siemens, and so forth. The WiMax Forum aims to support wireless metropolitan-area networking products
based on IEEE 802.16, like the Wi-Fi Alliance has done for wireless LANs and IEEE 802.11. The WiMAX
Forum has most recently been working to promote the adoption of IEEE 802.16-compliant equipment,
certification, and interoperability testing. In 2003, Intel Corp. became a major supporter of the WiMax Forum.
In order to bring interoperability into MAN, the WiMAX Forum is focusing its efforts on establishing a baseline
protocol that allows equipment and devices from multiple vendors to interoperate and that also provides a choice
to buy equipment and devices from different suppliers.
Currently, there are no WiMax-certified products yet available in the market, but the race is already on. At the
Intel Developer Forum in September 2004, Intel showed off its first samples of a WiMAX chipset that has been
named Rosedale. Intel is planning to offer WiMax transmitters by 2005, and expects to ship WiMax devices for
the home and office to take off by 2006. Also, Intel hopes that notebooks will begin to incorporate WiMAX
technology during 2006, and by 2007, handsets for mobility will be available. Intel has already signed up
Proxim and Alcatel to develop WiMAX base-station and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) kits. Fujitsu
Microelectronics America Inc. in early 2005 expects to introduce a new WiMAX-based single-chip solution for
deployment in base stations and subscriber stations as well; the product integrates both PHY and MAC
functionality. Siemens Information and Communication Mobile also plans to build complete WiMAX-based
solutions for establishing fixed, broadband speed metropolitan area wireless radio networks.
17 http://www.wimaxforum.org/