WiMAX: Technology for Broadband Wireless Access

WiMAX Broadband Wireless Access Technology, based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, is at the origin of great promises for many different markets covering fixed wireless Internet Access, Backhauling and Mobile cellular networks. WiMAX technology is designed for the transmission of multimedia services (voice, Internet, email, games and others) at high data rates (of the order of Mb/s per user). It is a very powerful but sometimes complicated technique.

The WiMAX System is described in thousands of pages of IEEE 802.16 standard and amendments documents and WiMAX Forum documents. WiMAX: Technology for Broadband Wireless Access provides a global picture of WiMAX and a large number of details that makes access to WiMAX documents much easier. All the aspects of WIMAX are covered. Illustrations and clear explanations for all the main procedures of WiMAX are pedagogically presented in a succession of relatively short chapters

• Topics covered include WiMAX genesis and framework, WiMAX topologies, protocol layers, MAC layer, MAC frames, WiMAX multiple access, the physical layer, QoS Management, Radio Resource Management, Bandwidth allocation, Network Architecture, Mobility and Security
•  Features a glossary of abbreviations and their definitions, and a wealth of explanatory tables and figures
•  Highlights the most recent changes, including the 802.16e amendment of the standard, needed for Mobile WiMAX
•  Includes technical comparisons of WiMAX vs. 802.11 (WiFi) and cellular 3G technologies

This technical introduction to WiMAX, explaining the rather complex standards (IEEE 802.16-2004 and 802.16e) is a must read for engineers, decision-makers and students interested in WiMAX, as well as other researchers and scientists from this evolving field.

 

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements.

Abbreviations List.

PART ONE Global Introduction to WiMAX.

1 Introduction to Broadband Wireless Access.

1.1 The Need for Wireless Data Transmission.

1.2 Wireless Networks and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA).

1.3 Applications of BWA.

1.4 History of BWA Technologies.

2 WiMAX Genesis and Framework.

2.1 IEEE 802.16 Standard.

2.2 WiMAX Forum.

2.3 WiMAX Products Certifi cation.

2.4 Predicted Products and Deployment Evolution.

2.5 Other 802.16 Standards.

2.6 The Korean Cousin: WiBro.

3 Protocol Layers and Topologies.

3.1 The Protocol Layers of WiMAX.

3.2 Convergence Sublayer (CS).

3.3 Medium Access Control Common Part Sublayer (MAC CPS).

3.4 Security Sublayer.

3.5 PHYsical Layer.

3.6 Network Management Reference Model.

3.7 WiMAX Topologies.

4 Frequency Utilisation and System Profi les.

4.1 The Cellular Concept.

4.2 Licensed and Unlicensed Frequencies.

4.3 WiMAX Frequencies, Regulations and Availability.

4.4 WiMAX System Profi les.

PART TWO WiMAX Physical Layer.

5 Digital Modulation, OFDM and OFDMA.

5.1 Digital Modulations.

5.2 OFDM Transmission.

5.3 OFDMA and Its Variant SOFDMA.

5.4 Subcarrier Permutations in WiMAX OFDMA PHY.

6 The Physical Layer of WiMAX.

6.1 The 802.16 Physical Transmission Chains.

6.2 Channel Coding.

6.3 Turbo Coding.

6.4 Transmission Convergence Sublayer (TCS).

6.5 Burst Profi le.

PART THREE WiMAX Multiple Access (MAC Layer) and QoS Management.

7 Convergence Sublayer (CS).

7.1 CS in 802.16 Protocol Architecture.

7.2 Connections and Service Flow.

7.3 Classifi cation and Mapping.

7.4 CS and QoS.

7.5 Payload Header Suppression (PHS).

8 MAC Functions and MAC Frames.

8.1 Introduction.

8.2 MAC Addresses and MAC Frames.

8.3 Fragmentation, Packing and Concatenation.

8.4 Basic, Primary and Secondary Management Connections.

8.5 User Data and MAC Management Messages.

8.6 TLV Encoding in the 802.16 Standard.

8.7 Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ).

8.8 Scheduling and Link Adaptation.

9 Multiple Access and Burst Profi le Description.

9.1 Introduction.

9.2 Duplexing: Both FDD and TDD are Possible.

9.3 Transmission of Downlink and Uplink Subframes.

9.4 Maps of Multiple Access: DL-MAP and UL-MAP.

9.5 Burst Profi le Usage: DCD Message and the DIUC Indicator.

9.6 Mesh Frame.

10 Uplink Bandwidth Allocation and Request Mechanisms.

10.1 Downlink and Uplink Allocation of Bandwidth.

10.2 Types of Uplink Access Grant-request.

10.3 Uplink Access Grant-request Mechanisms.

10.4 Contention-based Focused Bandwidth Request in OFDM PHY.

10.5 Contention-based CDMA Bandwidth Request in OFDMA PHY.

11 Network Entry and Quality of Service (QoS) Management.

11.1 Ranging.

11.2 Link Adaptation.

11.3 The Five Scheduling Services or QoS Classes.

11.4 Scheduling and Deployment of Services Over WiMAX.

11.5 Dynamic Service Addition and Change.

11.6 Network Entry.

PART FOUR Diverse Topics.

12 Effi cient Use of Radio Resources (With the contribution of Jérôme Brouet, Alcatel, France).

12.1 Introduction.

12.2 Radio Engineering Consideration for WiMAX Systems.

12.3 Radio Resource Management Procedures.

12.4 Advanced Antenna Technologies in WiMAX.

12.5 Multicast Broadcast Services (MBS).

13 WiMAX Architecture (With the contribution of Jérôme Brouet, Alcatel, France).

13.1 The Need for a Standardised WiMAX Architecture.

13.2 Network Reference Model.

13.3 Network Functionalities.

14 Mobility, Handover and Power-Save Modes.

14.1 Handover Considerations.

14.2 Network Topology Acquisition.

14.3 The Handover Process.

14.4 Fast BS Switching (FBSS) and Macro Diversity Handover (MDHO).

14.5 Power-Save Modes.

15 Security.

15.1 Security Elements Used in the 802.16 Standard.

15.2 Authentication and the PKM Protocol.

15.3 Data Encryption.

15.4 Message Authentication with HMAC.

15.5 Other Security Issues.

16 Comparisons and Conclusion.

16.1 Comparison Between Fixed WiMAX and Mobile WiMAX.

16.2 Comparison Between WiMAX and WiFi.

16.3 Comparison Between WiMAX and 3G.

16.4 Final Thoughts and Conclusion.

Annex A: The Different Sets of MAC Management Messages.

Annex B: Example of a Downlink Channel Descriptor (DCD) Message.

References.

Index.