WiMAX Challenges and Opportunities in the Wireless World

T.Rahul Teja Y . Chanukya Reddy

ABSTRACT
WiMAX (World wide interoperability for micro wave access) is a wireless communications standard designed to provide 30-40 Mbps data rate for mobile stations and 1Gbps for fixed stations. It refers to implementations of IEEE 802.16 family of wireless networks standards ratified by the Wimax forum, which is expected to deliver high quality broadband services. Wimax is a probable solution to a many problems that have weighed down the previous wireless networks. Wimax is a technology based on the IEEE 802.16 Specifications to enable the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL. Since Wimax network design is based on major principles: Spectrum, Topology, Interworking, Ip connectivity and mobility management. Wimax is the combination of high speed and secured broadband network with cost effectiveness, feasible solution in remote regions and convenient that no wired infrastructure is needed, unlike cable modems or DSL connections, competing the 3G technology especially developing the mobile broadband access.

Sometimes, it refers to as Wi-Fi on Steroids and can be used for number of applications including cellular back haul, hot spots etc., It is similar to Wi-Fi, but enables usage at very far distances. Wimax provides broadband access choices, especially where there are gaps: Worldwide urban centers where building access is difficult, in suburban areas, rural and low population density areas where infrastructure is poor. Wimax systems are designed at the outset with robust security in mind. The standards include state-of-the-art methods for ensuring user data privacy and preventing unauthorized access, with additional protocol optimization for mobility. Wimax offers initially up to about 35-40 Mbps capacity for wireless channel for both fixed and portable applications ,which plays a vital role in no. of business, thousands of residential areas with high speed connectivity more than DSL Wimax can support voice and video as well as internet data with 10-15 Mbps capacity in a 3km cell coverage area; which is not as fast as in fixed applications This paper deals with the emerging needs of both fixed and mobile services with the major comparisons of Wimax technology with predetermined wireless networks i.e., 3G. This paper emphasizes the necessity of

Wimax technology and its applications including merits and demerits, so that a brief understanding about the technology is presented. 1. WiMAX Wimax-Worldwide Inter-Operability for Microwave access is a technology which provides wireless data communication. The communication depends on the modes of transmission which mainly includes pointto-multipoint and cellular Wimax. It is based on an IEEE 802.16 standard which is also known as Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). The Wimax got popular when the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) gave approval for a non-cellular telecommunications technology as part of 3Gs Union standard. The IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard provides the air interface for Wimax but does not define the full end-to-end Wimax network. The Wimax Forum's Network Working Group (NWG), is responsible for developing the end-to-end network requirements, architecture, and protocols for Wimax, using IEEE 802.16e-2005 as the air interface. The Wimax NWG has developed a network reference model to serve as an architecture framework for Wimax deployments and to ensure interoperability among various Wimax equipment and operators. The network reference model envisions unified network architecture for supporting fixed, nomadic, and mobile deployments and is based on an IP service model. Below is simplified illustration of an IP-based Wimax network architecture. The overall network may be logically divided into three parts:

1. Mobile Stations (MS) used by the end user to access the network. 2. The access service network (ASN), which comprises one or more base stations and one or more ASN gateways that form the radio access network at the edge. 3. Connectivity service network (CSN), which provides IP connectivity and all the IP core network functions. The network reference model developed by the Wimax Forum NWG defines a number of functional entities and interfaces between those entities. Fig below shows some of the more important functional entities.

Base station (BS): The BS is responsible for providing the air interface to the MS. Additional functions that may be part of the BS are micro mobility management functions, such as handoff triggering and tunnel establishment, radio resource management, Quos policy enforcement, traffic classification, DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) proxy, key management, session management, and multicast group management. Access service network gateway (ASN-GW): The ASN gateway typically acts as a layer 2 traffic aggregation point within an ASN. Additional functions that may be part of the ASN gateway include intraASN location management and paging, radio resource management and admission control, caching of subscriber profiles and encryption keys, AAA client functionality, establishment and management of mobility tunnel with base stations, QoS and policy enforcement, foreign

agent functionality for mobile IP, and routing to the selected CSN. Connectivity service network (CSN): The CSN provides connectivity to the Internet, ASP, other public networks, and corporate networks. The CSN is owned by the NSP and includes AAA servers that support authentication for the devices, users, and specific services. The CSN also provides per user policy management of QoS and security. The CSN is also responsible for IP address management, support for roaming between different NSPs, location management between ASNs, and mobility and roaming between ASNs.

It promises to provide long distance broad band access for a number of different applications.

WiMAX CHALLENGES Wimax is facing some problems which if rectified than Wimax is an ideal solution to Broadband in terms of both Voice and Data. These challenges are highlighted from time to time. Following are the challenges which should be overcome before Wimax completely commercialized. Following are some of the challenges; 1. The deployment cost for Wimax Radio Access Network or RAN or more precisely Network Access Provider (NAP) or ASN as mentioned is more than the typical Wi-Fi network. 2. Even if the Wimax is a standard today but its market opportunities will take time to develop. 3. The Mobile Transmission mode is not backward compatible with the point to multipoint or fixed network. 4. Most of the developed countries like USA, and China cellular operators or Network providers are considering the fixed mode transmission of Wimax and they have not yet given the consideration to the Cellular Transmission Mode. 5. Most of the work remained unfinished in the network architecture till 2006,but later on Wimax forum and Wimax NWG contributed towards finalizing standard and

ADVANTAGES

It can provide data communication up to 72Mbits/sec. Wimax provides BWA upto 30 miles for fixed stations and a maximum of 10 miles for mobile stations

general network architecture for Wimax in the release 1.5. 6. As far as deployment is concerned, Wimax is as equal as a 3G to deploy. CONCLUSION Despite of many challenges addressed in this paper, there are many challenges which Wimax is facing and contributing towards its solutions. Due to which there is an opportunity for Wimax to expand for a nontraditional operators given that the implementation of network architecture is upon the Operator-Driven Business model. The Wimax address a particular market need which is the availability of a low cost and open standard based which provide basic voice and broadband access throughout the world.

EMAIL ID: 1.me.rahulteja@gmail.com 2.ychanukya@gmail.com

COLLEGE NAME: SREE VENKATESWARA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING NELLORE.

REFERENCES:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimax 2.walton,marsha(2006-03-31).Is Wi-Fi on steroids really the next big thing? 3. http://www.howstuffworks.com 4 . Electronics and Telecommunications Research Seminar Series 8th Workshop proceedings. 5 . http://www.tutorialpoint.com

Contact numbers: 1. 9949138052 2. 9490772776