Monday, May 21, 2007

WiMAX Forum and IEEE 802.16..

One of the main objectives of the WiMAX Forum is to create a single interoperable standard from the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN standards. This is achieved by the creation of System Profiles. Based upon what the WiMAX Forum sees in terms of service provider and vendor equipment plans, the WiMAX Forum has decided to focus first on profiles for the 256 OFDM PHY mode of the 802.16-2004 standard, which was ratified by the IEEE in June 2004. This physical layer (PHY) will be combined with a single media access controller (MAC), ensuring a uniform base for all WiMAX implementations.
Compliance with the 802.16 standard does not mean equipment is WiMAX Forum Certified™ or that it is interoperable with other vendors’ equipment. However, if a piece of equipment has earned the WiMAX Forum Certified™ designation, it is both compliant with the 802.16 standard and interoperable with other vendors’ equipment that is also WiMAX Forum Certified™.

IEEE 802.16a standardization focused on fixed broadband access. IEEE 802.16-2004 enhanced the standard by providing support for indoor CPE. The IEEE 802.16e standard is an extension to the approved IEEE 802.16-2004 standard. The purpose of 802.16e (also known as IEEE 802.16e-2005) is to add data mobility to the current standard, which is designed mainly for fixed operation.

IEEE approved the initial 802.16 standard for wireless MAN for the 10-66 GHz frequency range in December 2001. The 802.16a extension for sub-11 GHz was approved in January 2003. The 802.16-2004 standard was ratified by the IEEE in June 2004. The 802.16e-2005 standard was approved in December 2005.

The structure and process of WiMAX Forum certification is most like that of Wi-Fi Alliance, except that Wi-Fi Alliance only tests products for interoperability, whereas WiMAX Forum tests for both conformance to the technical standard and device interoperability. Testing conformance to the standard means that products just don’t work with each other out of luck, rather they are designed in a manner that allows them to implement the protocols in exactly the same way. This ensures that over time the products can be enhanced or new models can be issued with a higher likelihood of deployment in a common network.

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