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Backgrounder for the press
WiMAX Unwiring the Last Mile






Backgrounder for the Press WiMAX
Siemens AG 2004 - This information is provided without obligation -
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Content
A boost for the wireless access market: WiMAX 3
Wireless and standardized the success factors 3
Range and bandwidth how to interpret the figures 4
WiMAX will take its place alongside UMTS and Wi-Fi 5
The standard in detail: 802.16, a, c, d and e 6
Certified premise equipment guarantees compatibility 8
From outdoor-installable subscriber stations to chipsets 8
Licensed frequencies are critical 9
Available soon for anyone: internet via broadband 9
WiMAX networks bridge a gap in the broadband access market 10





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Summary
As a standard-based technology WiMAX will serve as a wireless extension or alternative to
cable and DSL for broadband access. Since WiMAX has been developed primarily for the
best-effort transmission of larger data volumes at high speeds, it provides a logical
supplement to UMTS. Particularly for end users in rural, sparsely populated areas or in areas
where laying cable is difficult or uneconomical, WiMAX will provide a new broadband access
path to the internet.

A boost for the wireless access market: WiMAX
WiMAX is the moniker used for the IEEE 802.16 wireless interface
specifications promoted by the industry trade organization Forum for
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Members of the WiMAX
Forum include leading operators, equipment and component makers. The
WiMAX Forum ratified the new standard for wireless broadband access at
the beginning of 2003. WiMAX continues to be one of the most talked about
technologies.
Wireless and standardized the success factors
WiMAX is a standard-based technology which will serve as a wireless
extension or alternative to cable and DSL for broadband access. Particularly
for end users in rural, sparsely populated areas or in areas where laying
cable is difficult or uneconomical, WiMAX will provide a new broadband




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access path to the internet. But companies and communities along with
owners notebooks will benefit from WiMAX as well if they require mobile
networks that cover a larger area than Wi-Fi.
As an industry standard, 802.16 enables equipment suppliers to build
solutions that can interoperate with each other, leading to lower cost and
investment risk. WiMAX is going to bring scale to the market and, ideally,
create a larger market along the way.
Since wireless technologies are easier to install than wire-based
infrastructures, providers can use WiMAX to provide broadband access in
previously under-supplied areas quickly and cost-effectively.
WiMAX is not a new technology, but rather a more innovative and
commercially viable adaptation of a proven technology that is delivering
broadband services around the globe today. In fact, wireless broadband
access systems from WiMAX Forum members are already deployed in more
than 125 countries around the world. These leading equipment providers are
on a migration path to WiMAX.
Range and bandwidth how to interpret the figures
WiMAX is considered Wi-Fis big brother. From a technical perspective,
WiMAX and Wi-Fi are two different things. Unlike Wi-Fi, WiMAX requires a
network plan and sites for base station antennas. Additionally WiMAX offers
not only more range, but also more bandwidth. While Wi-Fi solutions can
broadcast up to 100 meters (330 feet) with a maximum of 54 megabits per




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second (Mbps), WiMAX has a range of up to 50 kilometers (30 miles) with a
transmission speed of about 70 Mbps under certain conditions: WiMAX is
a shared medium, which means that the capacity is spread over all users in a
radio cell. The speed also drops as the users distance from the base station
increases.
WiMAX will take its place alongside UMTS and Wi-Fi
One of the main areas of debate regarding WiMAX is where it fits in with
technologies such as UMTS and Wi-Fi. Is it going to jeopardize the recently
made investments in what are now two mainstream wireless standards? The
simple answer is no, because the technologies differ in essential points.
Lets look first at UMTS. The point is that WiMAX is built purely for data
services not for voice. It was designed predominantly for home and business
users who do not have fixed-line access to broadband internet. Voice
transmission over WiMAX can only be accomplished in combination with
Voice over IP, while UMTS is a technology that offers voice and multimedia
services with guaranteed quality even when users are moving at high speed.
UMTS is ideal for applications targeted at internet-capable mobile phones.
WiMAX provides complementary wireless internet access via a notebook
while the user is located in a radio cell. Since WiMAX has been developed
primarily for the best-effort transmission of larger data volumes at high
speeds, it provides a logical supplement to UMTS.




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Similarly, Wi-Fi and WiMAX are complementary technologies. Because of its
limited range, Wi-Fi is primarily suited for public hotspots and for office and
residential use. Covering larger areas is not economically feasible. Thats
where WiMAX provides a logical supplement since it provides similar
functionalities outside of Wi-Fi hotspots. Siemens therefore believes that
future notebooks and similar data devices will contain both Wi-Fi and WiMAX
technology.
Most likely, operators are going to find a blend of technologies that helps
them to optimize their cost position.
The standard in detail: 802.16, a, c, d and e
In early December 2001, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) approved the 802.16 standard, which defines radio systems with
point-to-multipoint architectures in frequency bands between 10 and 66 GHz,
which require a line-of-sight between sender and receiver for transmitting
data.
In the 802.16a standard of January 2003, the specification was expanded to
radio systems in licensed and unlicensed frequency bands in the range
between 2 and 11 GHz. Frequencies below 11 GHz enable connections
without line-of-sight, which are often required in cities or in rural networks.
Shortly after the ratification of 802.16a, the WiMAX Forum was established,
to support the wide deployment of the 802.16 family of standards by




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providing detailed system profiles as well as certification procedures to
ensure the interoperability between equipment of different manufacturers.
As the complexity of applications increases, quality of service becomes a
critical factor. For example, video streams can be transmitted only when low
latency is ensured. The 802.16 standard therefore includes a so-called
request/grant scheme that can used to prioritize particular data streams. The
transmission priorities are divided into five stages from continuous grant to
best effort. In addition, the physical layer in 802.16d will be defined in such a
way that it is usable by a multitude of frequency bands. 802.16c provides
detailed system profiles for the specification 802.16-2001 for the frequency
range between 10 GHz and 66 GHz.
To make the 802.16 specification more readable the specifications 802.16-
2001, 802.16a-2003 and 802.16c-2003 have been combined in a
802.16REVd revision now called 802.16-2004. The 802.16-2004 standard
will be for fixed wireless services such as delivering broadband to the home,
while a new amendment 802.16e will allow portable WiMAX devices to send
and receive data over broadband wireless networks while moving from
basestation to basestation. Most likely 802.16e-capable devices will be
mainly used by nomadic users, meaning that like nomads they change
locations, but always stay for a while.
Without the 802.16e amendment data can only be received in a single cell.
As soon as the user leaves the cell, the connection is lost. Therefore, the
standards committee has decided to include hand-over functions in 802.16e




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capable to serve moving notebook or PDA users with a speed of up to 120
km/h. Depending of frequency range and technical implementation details a
WiMAX radio cell according to 802.16e may have a diameter of six to seven
kilometers This expansion is currently still under development and will most
likely be ratified in early 2005.
Certified premise equipment guarantees compatibility
Like the Wi-Fi Alliance, the WiMAX Forum certifies and promotes the
development of product and ensures the compatibility and interoperability of
WiMAX equipment. The Forum has specified basic features that are collected
in so-called system profiles. If a device matches these profiles it is WiMAX-
certified and is able to communicate with other WiMAX devices. The system
profiles also define the properties that WiMAX devices must have in order to
be usable worldwide on various frequency bands.
From outdoor-installable subscriber stations to chipsets
The first generation of WiMAX Forum-certified consumer equipment will be
outdoor-installable subscriber stations akin to a satellite dish. These are
expected to become available in 2005. The second generation of consumer
equipment will be indoor-installable modems. They are similar to cable or
DSL modems and are expected to be available in late 2005 or early 2006.
Third-generation consumer equipment will be portable modems that can be
integrated into a laptop and be available in the 2006-2007 timeframe. As a




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next step we at Siemens expect that WiMAX will be incorporated on chipsets
into end-user devices like notebook computers and PDAs along with Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth, enabling the delivery of wireless broadband directly to the end
userat home, in the office and on the road.
Licensed frequencies are critical
Licensed frequencies are important for carriers who want to offer business-
class WiMAX services, because only in licensed frequency bands can the
quality of services be planned and controlled. In June 2004 the WiMax Forum
established a regulatory working group to promote the allocation of licensed
and license-exempt spectrum by encouraging the worldwide, uniform
adoption of specific frequency bands for broadband wireless access.
The group is lining up around three bands: one around 5.8 GHz, which is
unlicensed in many countries; a second around 3.5 GHz, unavailable in North
America but licensed in other regions; and a third around 2.5 GHz, licensed
in the U.S. and much of the Americas. (For more information see the press
release at www.wimaxforum.org.)
Available soon for anyone: internet via broadband
With WiMAX, enterprise and end customers get more options for broadband
connectivity at lower cost. For many people worldwide who cannot get




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access to broadband connectivity via cable or DSL, the new wireless
technology will be their way to the internet. In addition, the 802.16e standard
will serve nomadic notebook users who need to log on to the internet or
intranet from different locations inside and outside of buildings.
The Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group (Siemens
mobile) is a member of the WiMAX Forum and will provide a first solution for
WiMAX radio networks in the second half of 2005. In addition to base
stations based upon the IEEE 802.16d standard for fixed wireless
broadband, the solution also will encompass end user devices, integration
and service offerings. WiMAX builds upon cellular as well as microwave
technology and must be integrated into the existing cellular mobile telephony
infrastructure. This gives Siemens as a solution provider and system
integrator an excellent starting position to offer its customers an end-to-end
WiMAX solution.
Siemens has joined forces with Intel to work together on the development of
WiMAX base station infrastructure equipment as well as end user subscriber
station devices to deliver to providers when the Siemens WiMAX solution is
launched in 2005.
WiMAX networks bridge a gap in the broadband access market
Rather than rivaling UMTS and Wi-Fi, WiMAX will prove to be a key enabler
for the wireless access market and take its place alongside the other access
technologies.




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Thanks to its standardization, WiMAX offers operator clear advantages over
existing proprietary solutions. The development and production of
components and solutions will benefits from scaling effects. In addition,
Intels commitment to defining and marketing this technology particularly in
connection with chipsets and notebooks will ensure that the market has
the drivers it needs for WiMAX to spread.
Analysts expect that as soon as 2008 there will be 3.8 million users of
wireless broadband connections. Network operators predict major growth
opportunities for low-cost internet links especially in areas with weak
infrastructures, including countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin
America where access networks dont yet exist or would have to be
upgraded.
WiMAX gives the end customer another opportunity for using unrestricted
data communication. For the industry, the challenge lies in combining the
various wireless standards into a harmonized customer offering. Siemens is
convinced that within the foreseeable future, each user anywhere will be able
to automatically access the technology that best meets his needs at the time.


Useful link:
http://www.wimaxforum.org





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