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21 Wireless Local Area Networks
not envisioned in a wired world. For operators and service providers, systems
built upon the 802.16 standard represent an easily deployable “third pipe” capa-
ble of delivering fl exible and affordable last-mile broadband access for millions of
subscribers in homes and businesses throughout the world [18,19].
The 802.16a is an extension of the 802.16 originally designed for 10–66 GHz.
It covers frequency bands between 2 and 11 GHz and enables non line-of-sight
(NLOS) operation, making it an appropriate technology for last-mile applications
where obstacles such as trees and buildings often present and where base stations
may need to be unobtrusively mounted on the roofs of homes or buildings rather
than towers on mountains.
The 802.16a has a range of up to 30 miles with a typical cell radius of 4 to
6 miles. Within the typical cell radius NLOS performance and throughputs are
optimal. In addition, the 802.16a provides an ideal wireless backhaul technology
to connect 802.11 WLAN and commercial 802.11 hotspots with the Internet.
Table 21.18 provides a road map of IEEE 802.16 standards.
Applications of the 802.16 are cellular backhaul, broadband on-demand,
residential broadband, and best-connected wireless service (see Figure 21.22). The
802.16 delivers high throughput at long ranges with a high spectral effi ciency.
Dynamic adaptive modulation allows base stations to trade off throughput for
range. The 802.16 supports fl exible channel bandwidths to accommodate easy
cell planning in both licensed and unlicensed spectra worldwide. The 802.16
includes robust security features and QoS needed to support services that require
low latency, such as voice and video. The 802.16 voice service can either be TDM
voice or voice over IP (VoIP). Privacy and encryption features are also included to
support secure transmission and data encryption.
The
worldwide interoperability for microaccess inc
. (WiMAX) forum, an
industry group, focused on creating system profi les and conformance programs