A METHODOLOGY TO INCREASE BROADBAND USAGE VIA

MOBILE PHONES -WIMAX TECHNOLOGY

1. M.Vijay kumar

B.E ECE-III year

E-mail: vijaykumar.tce@gmail.com

Mobile: +91-9789188378

2. G.Suganth

B.E ECE-III year

E-mail: happysuganth@gmail.com

Mobile: +91-7418625565

3. N.Suresh Balaji

B.E ECE-III year

E-mail: sureshbalajin@gmail.com

Mobile: +91-9944396344

4. SP.Nagappan

B.E ECE-III year

E-mail: nagappanfeb18@gmail.com

Mobile: +91-9442888288

AFFLIATED TO: Thiagarajar College of Engineering

Madurai-625015.

ABSTRACT

Despite its rage, internet has seldom made a reach across all quarters, especially

in emerging economies like India. Considering the universal usage of mobile phones, in

this paper we have proposed a solution to the above problem through implementation of

WiMax technology in mobile phones thus ensuring the reach of broadband service to all

classes of people. We have started by justifying the need for a shift towards WiMax

technology by providing proper citations on disadvantages of existing technology and

how WiMax surmounts them. Further, insights into the WiMax technology, its

implementation and the corresponding hardware requirements in mobile owing to

WiMax have been provided. When it comes to field work, we had conducted a survey

among rural people about their awareness on broadband usage through mobiles and

obtained necessary implications. We made a research on the impact of broadband on

GDP of a country and garnered the statistical interpretations. In addition, focus was

also laid on means of reducing the cost of WiMax thus making the technology more

efficient. Finally, we did a case study where we have developed a suitable design for

implementation of WiMax in a city considering various parameters like coverage area,

number of base stations etc.,

Keywords: Emerging economies, Broadband, Mobile WiMax, GDP

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTWe sincerely thank IIMA and ITS for providing young students like us to present paperin such an esteemed conference. We would also love to thank Mrs. Jeyameenakshi, JointEngineer, BSNL Madurai for her consistent support without which this paper would havebeen a dream for us. We also thank our college and ECE department for promoting us to

complete this paper.

1. INTRODUCTION

Definition of a developed country changes from time to time. Gone are the

days when a country’s stronghold in the globe was determined by the strength of

its armed forces. Today, a nation’s glory is better sung by the tune of its

telecommunication sector. The above tune is best composed when the

telecommunication wing makes itself available even to the poor of the poorest.

On its pursuit towards a developed status, it’s important that India gives umpteen

attentions towards the telecommunication sector. The foremost step in this regard

should be spinning a web across the country through internet. This is best done by

using broadband service which has proven to be more efficient.

Considering its impact, it is high time that the broadband facility should be

included in the list of basic amenities for life in the forthcoming years. For this to

happen, government should linearise its telecom policy so that contribution from

private sector can be increased by a considerable amount. This is very much

possible in developing countries like ours since traders abroad are ever-ready to

invest in our economy. By doing as such, Internet usage becomes very much

feasible in all the remote areas of our country. This provides a half-done solution

to our problem but not wholesome yet.

Alongside investment, it is necessary that we have a technology which is

not only cost efficient but also best suited for our nation’s geography in order to

make this completely feasible. One such wireless technology which provides

point to point as well as point to multipoint internet access is WiMAX

(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). WiMax can be provided for

both mobile users and stationary users via mobile WiMax and fixed point WiMax.

The above pie diagram indicates that next to China, our country holds the

second largest number of mobile users in the world [5]. Due to huge population

base, low teledensity and strong socio-economic developments, rural India is

becoming an important growth frontier for the mobile industry. So considering all

these facts we come to a conclusion that, creating awareness about broadband

among rural people is very much possible through mobile phones. Hence, through

this paper we suggest that mobile WiMax ensures optimal amount of broadband

connectivity to all the people across the nation.

2. NEED FOR WIRELESS:

Internet use in many emerging markets is still very low today. This can be

attributed to limited fixed-line and PC penetration and extremely high data access

costs in such economies. This has created a situation whereby the internet

ecosystem is often underdeveloped with few local servers and few content

offerings tailored to local needs. Even though internet penetration today is low, it

seems poised at an inflection point, based on the benchmarked evolution of

developed markets, and there is good reason to believe that the development will

be faster in emerging markets [4].

At present, the technology which is being employed to provide broadband

connection across the country is totally wired. This technology is mostly prevalent

in cities and towns and has not sprung its way up in rural and remote areas. This

can be accounted to rugged geography in those areas comprising hilly regions,

farmlands, water bodies and irregular topology making it tedious to provide wired

connections across them. Even such connections if provided are difficult to

maintain as they become mostly damaged due to unpredictable weather conditions

and other external factors existing there. Moreover, running the wires for a

significant distance owing to a single connection in a remote village does not

profit the service provider. Hence a need for wireless technology is emphasized.

Courtesy: Mobile World Congress. Barcelona, February ,18-20,2010

From the plot given above, we could clearly observe that the usages of

mobile phones are growing year by year. And also we could see that the growth of

fixed line is stagnant which clearly symbolizes the need for wireless technology in

future. Up to 2008, as shown in the plot, Broadband industry which mainly

depends on fixed line and cable doesn’t enjoy a major growth rate [10]. So in

future, when we provide broadband facility through mobile phone, one can expect

a huge increment in the number of customers using broadband.

3. WHY WiMax?

Historically, the main usage of wireless data-transfer was voice

communication. As wireless communication standards evolved to become digital

(Wi-Fi or GSM), voice has become one among several more bandwidth

consuming (broadband) applications such as high definition video or games.

Many wireless IP (internet protocol) network standards try to satisfy the

increasing demand for more bandwidth in more locations while on the move.

Wi-Fi is the most popular and successful broadband wireless IP network

standard to date. Popular Wi-Fi standards – like 802.11b and 802.11g – are used

in many homes and businesses and enable internet access with high data

throughput for computer notebooks, PCs, and more recently, for Smart phone

users. Though Wi-Fi operates over a free unlicensed spectrum and is simple to

install and operate, it has some major disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks

is poor signal coverage, only 30 meters indoors and 200 meters outdoors. Wi-Fi

as a fixed broadband standard cannot support broadband services while on the

move and does not support continuous connectivity between Wi-Fi hotspots. In

addition, Wi-Fi is exposed to other interferers on the same band since it runs over

an unlicensed spectrum and is considered relatively insecure since it does not use

enhanced encryption. Further it is very power inefficient and does not guarantee

quality of service (the ability to guarantee a certain level of bandwidth to a

subscriber, according to the service he uses).

Existing cellular networks like 3G or the more advanced 3.5G can only

partially satisfy broadband wireless demands. Cellular networks are continuously

connected everywhere, where one base station can cover a small medium sized

neighborhood at a range of more than 3 kilometers, but the bandwidth of existing

cellular standards is relatively small (up to 3.1Mbps for 3G, compared to Wi-Fi,

which can support bandwidth effectively up to 30Mbps in 802.11g), and even

more expensive compared to Wi-Fi due to the need for the deployment of

expensive cellular base stations and the expensive spectrum of service providers

versus the cheap and easy Wi-Fi hotspot deployment and free unlicensed Wi-Fi

spectrum.

Hybrids consisting of cellular networks and Wi-Fi technology are a new

approach that is intended to enable the transition from cellular networks to Wi-Fi

and back to the same or different cellular networks within range. Before this

technology will be ready for commercial use, it must solve the issue of continuous

automatic service between the cellular network provider and the broadband (Wi-

Fi) service provider. In addition, this technology will still suffer from some of the

weaknesses of Wi-Fi and the cellular standard, like the expensive, inefficient

bandwidth outside the Wi-Fi spot, low security and only partial mobile support

within the Wi-Fi coverage area.

As a result of these limitations there is a need for a new standard which

will enhance the existing standards for wireless broadband and give a broadband

experience as it was meant to be: pervasive, mobile, fast, and cheap. This is how

WiMax comes into the picture. WiMax tries to take the best part of cellular

network access – the part that allows you to easily connect anywhere within your

service provider’s wide coverage area – and to take the best part of your Wi-Fi

experience - the fast speeds and a familiar broadband internet experience - and

combine them into a new wireless standard. This new wireless standard is based

on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Wireless MAN).

It is common to divide WiMax into two sub-standards, one for fixed

wireless data transmission, known as "fixed WiMax" (based on 802.16d), and the

other, known most commonly today as "mobile WiMax" (based on 802.16e).

Mobile WiMAX includes some improvements over fixed WiMax by also

supporting mobility futures. The mobile version of WiMax provides a fixed-

location wireless alternative to DSL and cable modem services, while also

supporting a higher capacity alternative to mobile cellular 2.5G/3G services.

Taking into account, the prevalence of cell phones among all classes of people

rather than PCs, mobile WiMax presents a best bet in ensuring broadband usage

in its cheap and best possible way.

4. WHAT IS WI-MAX ALL ABOUT?

WiMax is an enhanced broadband standard with mobile features which

enables continuous connectivity and offers wide coverage. The WiMax network

uses an approach that is similar to that of cell phones. A user sends data from a

subscriber device to a base station mounted on a tower or tall building to

broadcast the wireless signal in a channel called an uplink, and the base station

transmits to the same or other user in a channel called a downlink. WiMax service

providers deploy a network of towers that enable access over many miles and the

WiMax broadband service will be available anywhere within coverage areas.

Coverage for a geographical area is divided into a series of overlapping areas

called cells. When the user travels from one cell to another, the wireless

connection is transferred from one cell to another. The WiMax standards cover

transmissions anywhere in the frequency band between 2 GHz and 66 GHz.

Where earlier radio standards had specified a single channel bandwidth, WiMax is

defined for channel bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 MHz, providing mobile

operators tremendous flexibility and deployment options [2].

At the heart of WiMax technology stands several comprehensive concepts

that can improve spectral efficiency (the number of information bits transmitted

over a given spectrum resource) compared to other technologies. Some of the

above mentioned technologies are discussed as follows:

Signal Modulation: The primary signal modulation technique for WiMax is

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which has proved to be

both more bandwidth-efficient and more reliable than earlier techniques (see the

figure below). When OFDM is coupled with a high channel bandwidth, that

allows greater data rates. So, on average, for an equivalent spectrum allocation,

users will see similar data rates. In specific simulations, where there are few users,

it is possible that Wimax will provide a higher data rate than 3G.

In an OFDM system, the channel bandwidth is divided into a number of narrower

sub channels, and the bit stream is divided and sent in parallel over all of them.

Specifically, WiMax uses Scalable OFDM (SOFDM), where the number of sub-

channels varies from 128 in a 1.25 MHz channel to 2048 in a 20 MHz channel.

The mobile WiMax standard also uses an enhanced technique on the inbound

channel called Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) where

different groups of sub-channels can be assigned to different users allowing

multiple users to transmit inbound simultaneously.

Courtesy: Sprint 4G Mobile

Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) Antenna System: The other

major element in the WiMax radio link is an optional MIMO antenna system. In a

MIMO system, multiple transmitters generate signals that are sent from different

antennae spaced some distance apart; that basic technique is called spatial

diversity. The key element is that all of the transmit signals are sent at the same

frequency. Normally, if you send multiple signals in the same frequency channel,

they will interfere with one another and the information will be lost. With the

spatial diversity feature of a MIMO system, the different signals can be

distinguished at the receiver by the unique configuration of multi path images

each one exhibits (Note: Multi path refers to echoes of the original signal created

by its reflecting or refracting off physical obstructions in the environment).

Because of that ability to identify each transmit signal by the configuration of

multi path images, multiple transmissions can share the same radio frequency.

MIMO is used two different ways in WiMax. First, the spatially diverse channels

can be used to carry two copies of the same information to increase reliability;

that technique is called Space-Time Coding or MIMO Matrix A. The more

interesting capability is where the bit stream is divided into a number of

substreams or transmits chains; the result is that with a 2-chain MIMO system,

you can send twice the amount of information in the same amount of radio

spectrum. That second option is called spatial multiplexing or MIMO Matrix B. In

short, a MIMO system has the ability to make one radio channel perform like

multiple independent channels, either increasing the reliability or multiplying the

carrying capacity. Initial WiMax deployments will use 2 transmitters and 2

receivers (i.e., a 2x2 configuration), though the standards define configurations up

to 4x4.

5. IMPLEMENTING WI-MAX:

a. WiMax NETWORK:

The overall layout of a WiMax network will be similar to a traditional

cellular network. In each operating city there will be a central office facility called

a WiMax Service Center (WSC), a backhaul network and a number of base

stations. Given that it operates at a higher frequency than the CDMA/GSM

network, a WiMax network will require roughly 20% more cells to cover the

same area. Given the amount of spectrum available, the base station coverage area

can typically be divided into three 120° sectors, each of which will use a different

carrier frequency, essentially tripling the capacity of a cell. As the traffic grows,

additional channels can be added to a cell, and busy cells can be further divided

into groups of smaller cells.

For backhaul, the network will use a combination of high-capacity

microwave radio and fiber optic links; the microwave backhaul will not utilize

any of the 2.5 GHz spectrums that are used for customer access. Given the

difficulty of extending fiber to every base station, the first leg from the base

station will typically be a microwave link to an aggregation point that connects

onto a fiber optic ring. Both the microwave and fiber links are wholly owned and

configured in redundant rings for greater reliability. That backhaul network can

deliver up to 100 Mbps of capacity to each cell site.

In extending wimax to rural areas across the country these aggregation

points are very much important as they serve as the link between remote areas and

nearby base station. Since the aggregation point and base station link is fiber

optic, these units are to be placed outside the remote or rural areas so that they can

be easily accessed without many disturbances.

Courtesy: Sprint 4G Mobile.

b. WiMax RECEIVER:

The WiMax chipset market is advancing quickly. There are solid 2-chip

designs consisting of a single-chip base band IC and a single-chip RF IC that are

bringing power consumption down. Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, and Sequans

have single-chip designs that include both the base band and RF. Most

importantly, WiMax chipset ASPs are dropping rapidly [7].

The chipset meant for wimax in mobile phones should contain certain

specifications. This varies according to the manufacturers. We provide here a set

of specifications, which are commonly observed among various manufacturers of

chipsets.

a sample mobile wimax chipset from sequans

Initially, the chipsets with the above specifications was made available

only in few smart phone models pertaining to high cost of development and

65 nm, single die, base band and RF

9x9 mm package, includes SDRAM

Dual-band RF: 2.3-2.4 GHz, 2.5-2.7 GHz

Maximum likelihood MIMO decoder on the downlink

TDD and FDD

4G-EZ ultra-low power technology

High throughput > 40 Mbps

implementation. But with the technological advancements made since 2009, there

has been sampling of more integrated chipsets – RFIC and base-band functions

merged, or base-band and NPU subsystem integration, or even Wimax and WiFi

MAC and PHY designed on the same die. All of these choices led to the same

goal: reducing overall cost of the chipset and platform to meet the pressure on

Wimax device price.

There has been a rapid decline in chipset ASPs owing to heavy

competition and integration in design. According to principal analyst Philip Solis

of ABI Research, a marketing research firm based in New York, Prices for the

base band and RF components of the chipset have come down from the $35 range

a few years ago to below $25, and will drop below $10 in 2011. These falling

WiMAX chipset prices would prove critical for inclusion of the technology in

smaller mobile devices thus enabling the establishment of mobile wimax in all

mobile devices at an affordable rate in the near future.

6. RESEARCH WORKS:

a. SURVEY:

A public opinion about a technology to come always enhances and

upgrades the thought process involved according to the public needs. So we

conducted a survey in a village called melakuilkudi near by Madurai among fifty

people.

A HISTOGRAM SUMMARIZING OUR SURVEY OF 50 PEOPLE IN AVILLAGE IN MADURAI

VERTICAL AXIS: No. of people (in %)

KEY FOR HORIZONTAL AXIS:

1- Awareness about importance of internet.

2- Own a computer

3- Own a mobile.

4- Agree with mobile internet at affordable rate.

5- Support for using internet in day today life (like banking, transactions with

Government, e-books etc.)

OBSERVATIONS:

90% of people said that they are aware of the importance of internet. This

is a welcome point for any investors and service providers in this field to

go for new ideas.

Moreover, 84% people have more than one mobile phone and 14% have at

least one mobile, which on the whole makes a total of 98% mobile phone

users in a village. This should tempt any internet service provider to use

mobile phones for broadband connectivity.

Further, 94% of the people surveyed are ready to use broadband in mobile

phone when they get it at an affordable cost. So the service providers can

invest considerable amount in cost reduction methodologies.

Also 74% of the people are happy to make all transactions with

government via online which will be the trend in future. Hence there is

bright scope in this field because number of users will always increase at

any instant. This increases competition between service providers thereby

enabling customer to select the best from the lot.

From this survey, one can clearly understand that even people in a small

village are ready to receive a new technology if it is properly conveyed to them.

So, now the onus is on service providers and government to make this possible

and we hope our survey would have kindled some of their minds.

b. IMPACT OF BROADBAND ON GDP:

One part of our research work included the proof work for our previously

mentioned statements regarding the effect of broadband in a nation’s economy.

We analyzed various economy related articles and got some inferences on how

broadband can affect GDP of a nation.

Courtesy: International Telecommunication Union(ITU)

From the above figure, we can observe that all the countries with high

GDP rate have better broadband penetration. This implies the fact that a country

with proper IT and telecommunication sector has more impact in this world as

already mentioned in the introductory part of this paper. Internet lends its hands in

all fields of a society like education, business, banking, marketing etc and this

creates positive waves in a society which is reflected back in the GDP growth of a

nation.

c. COST EFFICIENT METHODOLOGY:

With their inherent advantage over fixed-line, wireless systems are more

economical for offering mid-band (up to ten Mb/s) broadband access. This is

because wireless last mile connectivity is more cost effective, it is more

convenient to deploy (due to low cost of civil work) and also radio resources can

be shared by multiple users.

SOURCE: BOOZ HAMILTON

I. WIRELESS BROADBAND ECOSYSTEM:

The four major ecosystem constituents which contribute to the success of

an infrastructure standard are the operator, equipment manufacturer, device

manufacturer, and last but not least the customer perspective. Today, basic service

capability is enabled by multiple wireless access standards. Assuming regulators

allow a set of technology / spectrum combinations, and choice is available to the

operators, cost is the key decision criterion. In mobile networks – specifically in

developing markets -- technology cost is driven largely by the number of base

station sites. More importantly, two thirds of the cost are dictated by infrastructure

investments, e.g. towers, power, air conditioning. Depending on local factors,

emerging markets site costs can represent an even greater portion of costs than in

mature markets, exacerbated by factors such as additional security and power

costs. Of course, labor costs, or site rental costs are typically lower.

The number of sites deployed is therefore a crucial factor in the cost

structure of mobile operators. In fact, it is a more determining factor than the

choice of technology! The mobile device portfolio embraces very low cost

handsets as well as high-end devices with broadband connectivity. Emerging

economies like India, for example, already have a significant market share of

high-end handsets. In Russia, high-end 3G devices have captured 3% of the

market. But there is no 3G network in Russia – users in these two economies, for

example, are eager to use the mobile device as a differentiating, yet affordable

status symbol. Clearly, roaming capabilities and international services are a less

relevant factor in low-income economies, but in emerging markets with their

strong economic global links, this is a very important feature. In many developing

countries with limited international links and travel, a widespread technology

standard will enable in-country roaming and cross-operator use of services. It will

also enable an enhanced service experience – mobile broadband services can fall

back to e.g. GPRS in regions which are less extensively covered [4].

II. COST REDUCTION PER MB:

The above plot/survey can be summarized as follows:

We can visualize here a continuous process by which a broadband user

can get considerable amount of cost reduction over the span of time. We need the

government’s help to show such progress and provide broadband to users at this

minimum cost. Even though the above plot is for US markets, this can be easily

adopted for developing economies like India because of the liberty our

government gives for foreign investments and private sector. This eventually

leads to competition between service providers through which customer gets a

quality product at minimum rate. Also, there is always scope for improvements in

this field because of new technologies emerging day by day. Currently, a person

in India has to spend around Rs.1000 for unlimited broadband connection. But

days are not far where we can reduce the amount to just Rs.100 at even faster data

rate than today.

d. COST ESTIMATION:

This technology being quite new, it's hard to estimate the real cost of non-

existing components or prototypes. These costs are estimated assuming a

successful trend of this technology deployment.

Deployment cost of WiMax networks relies on traffic characteristics where

increased traffic results in higher number of sector antennas and/or smaller

coverage area per base station. Simple cost structure for WiMax deployment is

dominated by base station equipment and CPE. Despite the focus on WiMax

deployment in rural areas, the study also reveals that it can provide a competitive

solution in urban areas too.

Source: ict regulation toolkit

The mild increase in cost for rural areas indicates a clear window of

opportunity for the WiMax technology. In current day scenario, though it is

expensive to install WiMax throughout the country, considering the future, this

technology is going to take our nation’s growth in leaps and bounds and hence the

investment becomes sensible. By providing suitable subsidies, the government

can help the Telecom Sector of India to carry out the plan. The cost plans for the

subscribers should be made according to their locality. That is, people in rural

areas should be charged less than those in urban areas so that broadband becomes

affordable for everyone. This can be profitably done by shaping the transmission

rate.

e. CASE STUDY:

In our case study, we consider Madurai city and the villages in and around

it. Madurai’s city region is almost on a flat land and it is surrounded by mountains

on all four sides. The villages around the city lie mainly within these mountains.

So for those villages, providing wired connection (LAN) for broad band is a

tedious one. Also several obstacles like water bodies, rugged and uneven lands

come in the way while running the wires to these remote villages. Villages like

TPK (Thiruparamkundram), Nandhikkundu and Konthagai are totally hilly areas

where constructing wired layout remains a big question mark. Most of the people

in these rural areas are interested to use internet through mobile phones if it is

available at an affordable rate which is evident from our above survey statistics.

So using Wimax technology is the best way to satisfy the people’s expectations.

An AERIAL VIEW OF MADURAI CITY.

The above map shows the geography of Madurai and its surrounding

villages . The names of some of those villages are mentioned. The red rhombus

marked on the map indicates the location of the base stations which will be at the

centre of the cells. The radius of the cells marked depends on whether the locality

of the base station is at an urban or a rural area. In an urban area, the cell (ie. the

one which covers Madurai city) extends only up to a distance of 6 to 6.5 km to

tackle the problem of traffic. In rural areas the cell (all the other cells present)

extends up to an average distance of 8-10 km as the population in villages is

comparably lower. The fact that there is much scope for the development of

broadband in these areas in nearby future should tempt the interested people to

invest in this field. Also it is in the hands of the government to provide necessary

subsidies for Wimax that could ensure the development of these rural people.

7. APPLICATIONS:

While the WiMax technology is impressive, the real impact is in what

WiMax will allow users to do and how it will perform. The basic idea of our

paper is to extend the desktop experience to mobile devices and open the door to a

whole new range of capabilities. In this section let us see in detail about various

applications of wimax in today’s real world [2]:

a. BUSINESS APPLICATIONS:

In a corporate network environment, wimax can play a role both in user

access and data center connectivity. The most typical application at the outset

would be wireless laptop access delivering performance equivalent to a wired

DSL or cable modem connection. That means the user could access high capacity

data services along with VoIP soft phone and real-time video wherever they are

located. Also in mobile WiMAX technology, users could access those services

either while stationary or while traveling. Rather than simply having email and

basic applications access, with wimax the user could do large file uploads and

downloads; participate in audio or video conferences. Wimax could also provide

secure, high-capacity access from home without depending on the user’s home

Internet connection.

With a Wi-Fi/WiMax router, access could also be shared by a number of

users. WiMax could provide a highly secure, portable office capability to use at

meetings, conferences or temporary offices. With the ability to use WiMAX at

customer locations, sales presentations could include video link-ups with

technical experts or company executives without the hassle of connecting to the

customer’s network. With a Wi-Fi/WiMax router, users could set up a temporary

office or disaster recovery site instantly with a “network-in-a-box.”

At the data center, WiMax can serve as a primary or backup connection.

As a primary connection, WiMax would allow users to install or add capacity

instantly without waiting weeks for a wire line carrier to turn up a new circuit. As

a back-up connection, WiMax will continue to operate even if all cable links to

the central office have been damaged or cut. While many associate WiMAX

solely with user access, with static IP addressing capability for firewall traversal,

it can also play a role in providing reliable, high-capacity network access at the

data center.

b. CONSUMER APPLICATIONS:

Along with generic networking capability, WiMax can also add new

capabilities to a variety of vertical markets.

• Medical and Medical Telemetry:

Wireless is finding countless applications in healthcare — from bedside

data entry to x-ray/CAT scan viewing and medical device telemetry. WiMax can

support these applications more reliably than Wi-Fi and provide coverage both

inside and outside the facility. Further, medical telemetry can be used both when

the patient is in the hospital and after he/she returns home. Hospitals can clear

beds sooner, and clinicians can still keep a close watch on their patients’ progress.

Also operations can be monitored by specialist doctors in that field even though

they are not present at the instant and can give suggestions under emergency

circumstances through video conferencing at much higher speed because of

wimax.

• Municipal Government:

Local government agencies have been implementing Wi-Fi mesh networks

for a variety of applications ranging from traffic and security cameras to parking

meter systems, gunfire detection and first-responder communications. The

problem is that the limited range of a Wi-Fi transmission requires hundreds of

access points to be deployed and maintained, and the failure of a few of them

could wipe out communications to an entire section of the city. A single WiMax

base station can provide coverage equivalent to dozens of Wi-Fi mesh access

points, and because it operates in the licensed BRS band, it will not interfere with

(or be disrupted by) home Wi-Fi networks. Finally, the redundant hybrid

microwave-fiber backhaul network can ensure reliable implementation.

• Security Monitoring:

The range and capacity of wimax along with its support for Static IP

addressing will allow it to support video cameras and other remote devices

without the cost and complexity of installing cable connections.

• Customized Applications:

With WiMax chip sets, it’s now possible to embed a secure, reliable, high-

capacity wireless connection in any number of different devices from handsets to

laptops, mobile computers, bar code scanners and any number of other devices for

machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. WiMax provides a transmission

capacity that borders on Wi-Fi without the range and reliability issues. Whereas

Wi-Fi can provide high-speed wireless networking over a few hundred feet,

WiMax can extend that capability to an entire city.

8. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS:

The future of wimax is bright in developing countries like India,

Singapore and Middle East nations since these countries are less hit by recession.

This fact may kindle the R&D department of major telecom companies in these

countries to look out for new modifications and enhance this technology to

facilitate a more user friendly approach. Here what we suggest is wimax should

be included as a basic component like Bluetooth in all upcoming mobile models.

Currently only few smart phones have this facility which is not accessible to all.

A number of mobile operators in emerging markets (even those with 3G

spectrum) may consider mobile WiMax as a better alternative to DSL in rural

areas than HSPA, due to potential spectrum capacity constraints. Mobilink in

Pakistan and Globe Telecom in the Philippines are good examples of this

phenomenon[2].

Considering the future of wimax, works should be carried on to reduce the

cost and size of chipsets. Also Government should provide enough subsidies to

the people who undergo research in this field. This motivates young people to turn

their attention towards WiMax and progression in this field will take place

automatically. Hence days are not far when everyone in our India will get to

know about all the government plans through a wimax enabled mobile phone.

9. Conclusion:

The move to WiMax 4G represents a major step forward in wireless

Communications. Mobile WiMax technology moves wireless performance to a

new level while offering speed, reliability and security on par with wired network

connections. Extending this type of network service to mobile users is equivalent

to moving from dial-up to broadband Internet access. Most importantly, WiMax

uses IEEE-developed open standards, allowing the entire industry to design, build

and integrate WiMax-compatible products and services. Above all, it is important

to note that the WiMax access was used to assist with communications, after the

tsunami in December 2004. All communication infrastructures in the area, other

than amateur radio, were destroyed, making the survivors unable to communicate

with people outside the disaster area and vice versa. WiMax provided broadband

access that helped regenerating communication at that time. Hence, it is essential

that the potential of mobile wimax technology is made optimum use of, leading to

a technological revolution that will empower the society in the future to come.

.

REFERENCES:

WEBSITES:

1. Sprint 4G Mobile Wimax, http://now.sprint.com/nownetwork/4G/2. Wimax forum, http://www.wimaxforum.org/3. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, www.chennai.bsnl.co.in/4. The Mobile Broadband Opportunity in Emerging Markets, booz & co.,www.booz.com.5. Indian telecom magazine, online telecom newsletter -http://www.telecomindiaonline.com/world-telecom-market-statistics-at-telecom-india-daily.html6. Future of things, online magazine on Science & Technology,

http://thefutureofthings.com/articles/6361/the-future-of-wimax.html7. Sequans, Wimax components manufacturer,http://www.sequans.com/products-solutions/mobile-wimax/sqn1310/8. HongKong Wireless Technology, http://www.hktdc.com/manufacturers -suppliers/Hong-Kong-Wireless-Technology-Industry-Association/en/1X00PAPH/9. ICT Regulation Toolkit, live resource for policy-makers, regulators, the telecomindustry, and consumers. http://www.ictregulationtoolkit.org/en/index.html10. wikimapia- a online map,http://wikimapia.org/#lat=9.9333&lon=78.1167&z=10&l=0&m=b11. International telecommunication union official website. http://www.itu.int/

PAPERS:

12. Mobile Broadband Business case for emerging markets, Mobile worldcongress, Barcelona, Feb 18-20, 2010.13.”WIMAX An Efficient Tool to Bridge the Digital Divide”, WiMAX Forum,November 2005.14."Mobile WiMax The Best Personal Broadband Experience", WiMAX Forum. June2006.15. 802.16e Standard, LAN/MAN Standards Committee of IEEE Computer Society.16. Mobile WiMax features, Panagiotis Kalagiakos, Department of Informatics, NewYork College, Syntagma, Greece17. Arne Jeroschewski ,Engagement Manager, McKinsey’s Singapore office.arne_jeroschewski@mckinsey.com18. André Levisse , Director in McKinsey’s Singapore office.andre_levisse@mckinsey.com19. Alexandre Ménard ,Associate Principal in McKinsey’s Paris office.alexandre_menard@mckinsey.com20. Mobile WiMax, the Internal Protocol Journal, Volume 11, No.221. The future of things magazine, February 2009 article.

PERSONAL INTERVIEWS:

1. Mrs. Jeya meenakshi, Joint Engineer, BSNL, Alagappan nagar, Madurai.2. Mr. Somasundaram, Telecom Technical Assistant, BSNL, Alagappan nagar,

Madurai3. Mr. Prem kumar, Lecturer, Department of ECE, Thiagarajar College of

Engineering ,Madurai.4. Ms.Preethi, Lecturer, Department of ECE, Kalasalingam University,

Krishnankoil, Srivilliputhur.