Making WiMAX work in an evolving market
Wireless communication systems are becoming increasingly complicated. They are shifting to higher frequencies and wider bandwidths to support high-speed communications, with the IEEE 802.16 WiMAX Standard an excellent example.
When developing WiMAX equipment, engineers must be sure it performs in the higher frequencies of the WiMAX spectrum. At the manufacturing stage, equipment must be tested efficiently. Once delivered and deployed, WiMAX sending and receiving equipment is subject to the usual challenges of antenna and transmission device tuning and radio interference.
All of these scenarios call for a new generation of test tools with excellent accuracy and wideband analysis at the higher frequencies utilized by WiMAX. In addition, equipment must be flexible to support WiMAX profiles which may vary from region to region and are frequently revised.
Anritsu's role in WiMAX
Anritsu is a leading manufacturer of instruments used in R&D, product testing, manufacturing, network and user equipment testing, and field maintenance of wireless communications technology. Anritsu has made a strong commitment to WiMAX with the goal of offering solutions that will help manufacturers and carriers keep up with evolving standards and get products to market faster.
Anritsu is an active member of the WiMAX Forum and its products have been exhibited at the TWG (Technical Working Group) and the WiMAX Forum's Plugfests. Two products, the MG3700A Vector Signal Generator and the MS2781B Signature Vector Signal Analyzer are listed in the State of the Art (SOA) Equipment document of the WiMAX Forum.
This area is designed as a one-stop reference for engineers involved in WiMAX testing and measurement including the selection of test equipment and software suites, the setup of base stations and antennas, and ongoing maintenance of Mobile and Fixed WiMAX communications systems. Here you'll find the latest news, educational documents and web seminars, as well as information on the latest products from Anritsu. BOOKMARK this page and please come back often!
A WiMAX Primer
WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a telecommunications communications technology based on wireless transmission methods defined by the IEEE 802.16 air interface standard. Intended for Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WirelessMan), it can provide broadband wireless access at distances up to 30 miles for fixed stations, and up to 10 miles for mobile stations.
Potential WiMAX uses include high-speed mobile data and telecommunications services (e.g. 4G) providing a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for last-mile broadband access and connecting Wi-Fi hotspots with each other and with the internet.
To meet the requirements of different types of access, two versions of WiMAX have been defined. Both are engineered to help deliver ubiquitous, high-throughput broadband wireless services at a low cost.
Fixed WiMAX (defined in IEEE 802.16-2004) is popular with alternative service providers and operators in developing areas due to low cost of deployment, advanced performance, and ready availability of current products. Fixed WiMAX is also a possibility for backhaul of wireless base stations such as cellular, WiFi and other technologies.
Mobile WiMAX (defined in IEEE 802.16e-2005 and often referred to as "802.16e") improves on the modulation schemes defined in the Fixed WiMAX standard, and offers improved multipath performance in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments enabled by the adoption of SOFDMA (Scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology. The enhancements offered over Fixed WiMAX can be attributed to many features including the following:
- Improved robustness through coverage by the use of antenna diversity techniques and HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request)
- Use of sub-channelization to improve multipath performance
- Enhanced data security and date recovery performance through the use of coding techniques such as Convolutional Coding and Convolutional Turbo Coding
- Improved performance coverage by the use of Adaptive Antenna Systems (AAS) and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology.
Products
MA24126A
Microwave USB Power Sensor
10 MHz - 26 GHz frequency
True RMS Measurements
MS2720T
Handheld Spectrum Analyzer
9 kHz - 9 GHz, 13 GHz, 20 GHz
