Look Beyond Hype in WiMax
WiMax has been increasingly called the technology of the future. Is this hype or reality? A question facing wireless designers and developers is to what extent WiMax will gain adequate acceptance for them to base their designs on?
Belonging to the IEEE 802.16 series, WiMax will support data transfer rates up to 70Mbps over link distances up to 30 miles. Supporters of this standard tout it for a wide range of applications in fixed, portable, mobile and nomadic environments, including wireless backhaul for WiFi hotspots and cell sites, hotspots with wide area coverage, broadband data services at pedestrian and vehicular speeds, last mile broadband access, etc.
I think the aggressive support of many leading IT companies—Intel, Fujitsu, Samsung, Alcatel, Nortel, Huawei, ZTE, Motorola, Siemens, to name a few—is one of the most important reasons for the great interest in WiMax. Membership of WiMax Forum, an association of silicon suppliers, OEMs and carriers committed to promoting WiMax standard and certifying WiMax-compliant products, has soared to over 250 in the last two years.
The designer will have to look beyond hype to know what expectations are realistic. Will WiMax have the runaway success of WiFi, or will it have to confine itself to niche applications? If confined to niche segments, which are the areas where it can make a mark over competitors? There is no dearth of competing technologies. At this moment, WiMax seems to be emerging most strongly in Access Networks and MAN segments. In the Access Network segment comprising of home offices, small & medium enterprises and Internet connection for residences, WiMax will mainly compete with xDSL, cable modem, fiber-to-premises and T1 lines. In the MAN segment, where it will serve applications such as mobile communication, data services and campus networks, it will compete with SONET/SDH and DWDM over optical fiber.
I think the aggressive support of many leading IT companies—Intel, Fujitsu, Samsung, Alcatel, Nortel, Huawei, ZTE, Motorola, Siemens, to name a few—is one of the most important reasons for the great interest in WiMax. Membership of WiMax Forum, an association of silicon suppliers, OEMs and carriers committed to promoting WiMax standard and certifying WiMax-compliant products, has soared to over 250 in the last two years.
The designer will have to look beyond hype to know what expectations are realistic. Will WiMax have the runaway success of WiFi, or will it have to confine itself to niche applications? If confined to niche segments, which are the areas where it can make a mark over competitors? There is no dearth of competing technologies. At this moment, WiMax seems to be emerging most strongly in Access Networks and MAN segments. In the Access Network segment comprising of home offices, small & medium enterprises and Internet connection for residences, WiMax will mainly compete with xDSL, cable modem, fiber-to-premises and T1 lines. In the MAN segment, where it will serve applications such as mobile communication, data services and campus networks, it will compete with SONET/SDH and DWDM over optical fiber.
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Posted to WiMax