|
WiMAX, a standards-based wireless technology provides
high-throughput broadband connections over long distances. Commercial
WiMAX applications including "last mile" broadband connections,
hotspots and cellular backhaul, and high-speed enterprise connectivity
for business.
WiMAX broadband wireless technology, defined by the IEEE
802.16 standard is derived from the wireless fidelity (IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard) which currently serves hotspots and wireless local
area networks throughout the globe and has also been widely accepted
by the military. Unlike the WiFi, which covers few hundred meters at
best, and has difficulty to propagate in an urban area, WiMAX, which
can operate at higher frequencies, can serve subscribers over
distances of up to 50 km when using stationary, line-of-sight
connections. The network supports up to 50 Mbps data transfer rates,
offering sustained user data rates of 0.5 – 2Mbps, allowing for
simultaneous transfer of data (including high definition imagery),
voice (VoIP) and video. This technology also provides effective
services at distances 5 – 8 km for mobile users (without a direct line
of sight).
As WiMAX uses higher frequencies than current military
and commercial communications, existing antennas towers can "share" a
WiMAX cell tower without compromising the current communications
services. Such implementation can be used to deploy WiMax to increase
bandwidth for specific data-intensive applications within an existing
network. Furthermore, integration of WiMAX waveforms are already
developed for future Software Defined Radios
(SDR) and could be introduced in a future spirals of of the future
JTRS radio - currently, this radio is planned to support Soldier
Radio Waveforms covering the Wi-Fi at 2.4Ghz. WiMAX can also be used to support training areas,
providing an infrastructure for realistic integration of live training
and wargames simulation. An initial deployment of WiMAX has already
been constructed by the US Army Fort Dix. The U.S. Army is testing
prestandard WiMAX gear and Xacta Secure Wireless system from Telos
Corp. in Fort Carson in Colorado for point-to-point and
point-to-multipoint communications. Eventually, WiMAX or one of the
standard's future derivatives, is expected to provide the foundation
of future ad hoc Mobile
Area Network (MANET) mesh networks.
first commercial deployments of fully certified WiMAX
will occur in 2006 and that significant progress will be made in
establishing the 802.16e standard for mobile WiMAX.
|
