WiMAX, which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, has been promoted by the WiMAX Forum, an alliance of companies founded in 2001. Forum’s goal is to speed up technology acceptance in the market through compatibility and interoperability certification of WiMAX products.

The most typical WiMAX application as a last mile technology is to offer data and voice services in rural areas without ADSL nor optical fiber. However there are many other applications for WiMAX networks, such as backbone for Smart Cities.

Products & Services

TST has a deep know-how in WiMAX technology and offers consulting services, network design, equipment configuration and support during the roll-out of WiMAX networks.

Projects

TST has provided consulting services to TTI related to WiMAX technology. Within the European project Talos, TST has provided support in the design and configuration of WiMAX equipment from the manufacturer Alvarion.

Technology

WiMAX standard is based on IEEE 802.16 protocol, more specifically on IEEE 802.16e-2005. This rule uses a scalable, orthogonal, frequency-division multiple access (SOFDMA) with MIMO support for multiple antennas. At link layer (MAC/LLC) WiMAX stations have an assigned timeslot in which they can transmit their information, making WiMAX technology more energy efficient than LTE and/or HSPA+. WiMAX works at 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz. Transmission rates vary between 10-100 Mbps, and a theoretical rabge of 80 kilometers can be achieved. Real coverage is directly proportional to throughput, i.e., for large distances transmission rate decays, and vice versa.