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WiMax Formed To Promote 802.16 Standard
The Original Yama writes "Intel, Nokia, Proxim, and a bunch of other companies have launched WiMax, a non-profit group founded to certify and promote the IEEE 802.16 wireless networking standard. What's interesting about this standard is that it allows "up to 31 miles of linear service area range and allows users connectivity without a direct line of sight to a base station," all at a shared speed of 70Mbps. This simultaneously blows away 3G mobile and 802.11 technologies."
This simultaneously blows away 3G mobile and 802.11 technologies.
802.16 is designed for fixed outdoor operation and the antennas are much too big to fit in a PCMCIA card, so it won't replace 802.11.
802.16 clients can't move around, so it can't replace 3G.
From the article, this technology is meant to link 802.11 hotspots, not as a replacement to 802.11.
Free space optics is another interesting field that will give you upwards of 1Gb/s over 2km. More info on free space optics.
All of these technologies are emerging to try to link the last mile to the high speed backbone as the cost of fiber is prohibitive (~$325/m) and the majority of the US doesn't live on top of a fiber backbone.
For those whom are not aware of this technology, I gladly provide the following linkage:
:-)
-- Article @ Network World Fusion
-- Article @ Comms Design
-- Published Standards & Drafts
Enjoy!
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. -- Benjamin Franklin
regular - for 10-55GHz frequencies and that one actually gives even up to 134Mbps. Now, because it uses range-dependent modulation techniques, you'll not have 70Mbps @ 30 miles. At 30 miles you might have about 20Mbps
somewhat limited - for 2-11GHz which is unlikely to be implemented because it runs into almost all possible licensed frequency bands
unlicensed - for 5 GHz unlicensed band - exactly the same as 802.11b
Now, in any case, this is a fixed wireless network - that is stations are not mobile. So, it's NOT a competition for any mobile standards. All of that is very questionable at the moment because it will require quite a large licensed band and unlike UWB, it will transmit at measureable powers. I don't think Nokia would do anything to kill UMTS and 3G.
There are some ISPs using it: installation cost in one I know is around $700 and monthly cost is $40 for wireless T1.
iThink iHate iMod
Sounds great, but 31 miles? How about 50 feet though wood and concrete? Line of sight is nice, but for most interesting home networking, there's just no way.
Its nice to people dont even read the whole HEADLINE, let alone the article before they start posting.
"up to 31 miles of linear service area range and allows users connectivity without a direct line of sight to a base station,"
-Bill
-Bill
Note that Nokia is a very diverse company and they don't just do cell phones. Most of their other products (that don't involve cell phones) are found mostly in Europe and include two-way radios, "mesh" networking nodes (a la the now defunct AT&T Broadband).
Check it out at http://www.nokia.com/networks/product_catalog
Who needs this? a $10 cantenna gets a 30 mile range, and now they even look nice on your desk
I have no pants and I must scream
What a shocking number of people seem to be missing is that these are for different purposes! It's like asking why the roads have both cars and trucks on them.
The 802.11's are for wireless LAN. Local area net. They are a replacement for/supplement to ethernet. The various sub-standards do differ, that's true... but they are to serve different purposes (different levels of trade-off in price/range/throughput), and as far as interoprablity goes, that is supposed to be one of the purposes of 802.11g.
802.16 is for wireless MAN. Metropolitan Area Network. That is actually somewhat of a new concept. It is something like a replacement for cable modem/DSL or for T1's, but it's not really the same as either. It is supposed to be a cheaper form of high throughput last-mile delivery.
Despite many very cool attempts made over the past year or two, 802.11 is not particularly suited to delivering the last mile. It's fundamentally only good for a small number of computers over a short distance. That's a fact about the construction of the media access control layer and the radio spectrum. However, it does make for a much cheaper and easily configurable network. You wouldn't want to waste the money on more expensive radio equipment and spectrum in order to carry signals over a mere hundred feet to a handful of computers if you can do it cheaply and easily without.
Anyway, I think that 802.16 is just tremendously cool. Cable modems are neat and all, but anything to increase the competition in the last-mile space is great. Another thing that I would really like to see come about is a grassroots mesh network of 802.11. Just simple folk who share their cable modems with one another. You can route to mine if I can route to yours. That sort of thing. Anyway... getting off topic.
:Wq
Not an editor command: Wq