Overview

WiMax standards are the operational descriptions, procedures or tests that allow manufacturers to produce devices that reliably operate and can work with devices produced by other manufacturers. The development of WiMax standards is overseen by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

The WiMax standard is given the standard identifier of 802.16 and there are several variations of 802.16 WiMax standards. 802.16 specifications primarily cover the lower layers including the physical layer and media access control (MAC) layer and define the different levels of quality of service (QoS) that can be provided.

Even within the WiMax specification, there are multiple radio interface types. The need for these variations are typically the result of different industry needs such as fixed point to point communications or mobile broadband communications which require tradeoffs in radio access types in exchange for key requirements such as mobility, higher speed data communication rates or longer transmission distance.

The initial WiMax 802.16 standard was developed to provide high-speed data communication for licensed fixed applications at microwave frequencies (10-66 GHz). Shortly after the development of the initial 802.16 standard started, several versions were created to provide for different types of services and to operate in lower frequencies (2-11 GHz).

The 802.16a specification was created to allow WiMax to operate in the 2-11 GHz range. This was followed by the 802.16c specification which contained profiles for 10-66 GHz systems. Development on an 802.16d specification was started to define profiles for 2-11 GHz range. Eventually, all of the...