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•White Paper: WiMAX And The IEEE 802.16m Air Interface Standard

By The WiMAX Forum

Introduction

The IEEE 802.16e-2005 amendment to the IEEE Std 802.16-2004 Air Interface Standard which added Scalable-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (S-OFDMA) and many other features for support of mobility has provided the basis for WiMAX System Release 1. Further specification enhancements for Release 1 were provided with IEEE Std 802.16e-2009. The first WiMAX System Release 1 deployments took place in 2006. Estimates by the WiMAX Forum indicate that as of the end of 2009, WiMAX service providers have covered more than 600 million people with over 500 deployments in over 140 telecommunications markets worldwide1.

In December 2006 the IEEE launched an effort to further evolve the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMANOFDMA specification. This amendment, known as 802.16m, is designed to meet or exceed the requirements of IMT-Advanced (the 4th generation of cellular systems). With a number of stringent requirements for backwards compatibility, the 802.16m amendment will provide the basis for WiMAX System Release 2 and provide existing WiMAX operators a graceful migration path to gain performance enhancements and add new services. The IEEE 802.16m task group has more than 300 participating individuals from approximately 100 organizations from two dozen countries. As was the case for 802.16e-2005, 802.16m is designed to support frequencies in all licensed IMT bands below 6 GHz and include TDD and FDD duplexing schemes as well as half-duplex FDD (H-FDD) terminal operation to ensure applicability to the wide range of worldwide spectrum assignments.

Completion of the IEEE 802.16m specification is expected in the 3rd quarter of 2010 with ratification soon thereafter. Initial availability of WiMAX System Release 2 products based on 802.16m is anticipated in the 2012 timeframe.

This paper provides an overview of the enhancements incorporated in the IEEE 802.16m amendment and subsequently, WiMAX System Release 2. For the purposes of discussion the planned performance enhancements can be grouped into the following six categories:

• Increased Coverage and Spectral Efficiency
• Increased Capacity for Data and VoIP
• Lower Latency and QoS Enhancements
• Interworking with other Wireless Networks
• Power Conservation
• Other Advanced Features and Supported Services

Click Here To Download:
•White Paper: WiMAX And The IEEE 802.16m Air Interface Standard