White Papers

WMF-T49-001-v01

The WiMAX Roaming White Paper provides an overview of business models and technical aspects of roaming. Roaming enables customers to automatically access their wireless services when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of their home network. This includes internet, e-mail, voice, video and other services available on the home network. Roaming provides the ability for you to access your wireless services by using the network of an operator that is not your home network operator. This is made possible by your home network operator agreeing with other operators to allow you to use your wireless services on their networks.

Spectrum awards for BWA services (including mobile applications) usually result in adjacent spectrum blocks being assigned to service providers operating in the same geographic area. It is well known that nearby operation both geographically and spectrally can result in unacceptable interference between networks unless carefully engineered. Typically, guard frequencies can be introduced to minimise the extent of the problem.  This Whitepaper reports an analysis which concludes that, when adjacent TDD systems are synchronised, the frequency separation (guard frequency) required between networks operating on adjacent channels, can be minimised. In fact, based on the identified performance of WiMAX radio equipment, the frequency separation can be reduced to zero without impacting the adjacent cell performance.

This white paper provides an analysis of spectrum opportunities for WiMAX TM Technologies in bands below 1GHZ. It describes the recent regulatory developments in the bands below 1 GHz focusing especially on the upper part of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 470-862 MHz band, i.e. in the sub-band 698-862 MHz which may become available to Mobile Service applications in the next years, typically between 2008-2012.

As WiMAX operators deploy new networks or expand existing ones, they face multiple choices in the selection of base station equipment. How can WiMAX operators choose the hardware solution that is most cost effective and has the faster return on investment (ROI)?
We addressed this question by analyzing the capex and opex requirements for a five-year period, using radio access network (RAN) equipment with multiple input, multiple output (MIMO), beamforming (BF), and a combination of MIMO and BF.

P1 is Malaysia’s first and leading WiMAX telecommunications
company with the country’s widest WiMAX network.
Launched on August 19, 2008, P1 W1MAX™ represents the
first large-scale commercial deployment of Mobile WiMAX in
Southeast Asia, as well as the first large-scale deployment of
an 802.16e 2.3GHz WiMAX network outside Korea. P1’s goal
is to bridge the digital divide by making access to the Internet
universal, ubiquitous, and affordable for every Malaysian.

When wireless systems are deployed in neighbouring countries and especially when using the same frequency bands, some coordination activity is necessary in order to ensure that interference generated and received across a national border does not unduly affect the ability of either party to provide services close to the border. Usually affected countries have bi-lateral (or multi-lateral) agreements with neighbouring countries which may include agreed frequency usage plans along a border (e.g preferred channels) or agreed predicted field strengths to trigger more detailed specific coordination. For some countries the coordination burden can be relatively light. For others (e.g land locked central European countries) the burden increases significantly with the need to coordinate with many neighbours. Therefore the need to set up appropriate guidelines on either trigger levels or mitigation techniques can be important to minimise the impact on close-to-the-border operations.

If technologies in use across a border are the same then it is possible to use specific characteristics to mitigate the impact of cross border operation. Other techniques may need to be considered when technologies with different characteristics are in use or indeed when different frequency band usage is employed (e.g. different duplexing techniques). The WiMAX Forum advocates technology neutral licensing and flexibility in band usage and has commissioned Analysys-Mason to carry out a technical study of this cross border topic to consider multiple technologies and duplexing techniques across a border.

Notice and Disclaimer
Analysys-Mason Limited (A-M) is the author of the Report and the statements and viewpoints are those of A-M as of the issue date noted on the cover page (the Issue Date). The WiMAX Forum has not independently verified the report but believes it to be accurate as of the Issue Date. Nevertheless, neither the WiMAX Forum nor A-M warrants that the information contained in the report is complete and error-free. Nor is there any undertaking to update the report based upon new information and developments. All information is provided on an AS IS basis. The WiMAX Forum and A-M disclaim all express and implied warranties relating to the contents of the report.

Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (P1) is Malaysia’s rst and leading WiMAX telecommunications company, offering the country’s widest WiMAX network, innovating technology, products and services to advance the way people work, live, learn and play. P1 is also the first WiMAX Operator in Southeast Asia to roll out commercial WiMAX services under the 802.16e Mobile WiMAX variant.

Building the CSN is a critical piece of the network deployment that cannot be handled as a "Second Step" matter, nor reduced to the single question of selecting the right AAA server. When building the CSN, the WiMAX operator should properly address a number of possible clear as well as hidden issues, taking into account a number of key requirements.

This paper contains a brief csae study of Freemax, an Italian WiMAX operator.

Towerstream takes security very seriously and treats security as paramount
when building out our Radio Frequency (RF) infrastructure. This whitepaper
describes Towerstream’s physical security and security standards in place at
various hardware levels and the measures that Towerstream takes to ensure
data cannot be compromised at the RF level.

Communications operators across the globe must comply with
a complex array of local, national, and regional lawful intercept
(LI) standards and regulations. Moreover, as communication
technologies and services continue to evolve, these standards
and regulations evolve too, creating an increasingly heavy burden
for operators, and the potential to disrupt quality of service
and derail core business operations.

No matter whether big or small, in a developed market or an emerging one, targeting fixed subscribers or mobile subscribers, all WiMAX™ operators face similar challenges. Subscribers have come to expect the same reliable wireless internet experience that WiMAX promises, regardless of the operator’s size, previous experience, or segment focus.

Despite the lower access barrier, also in the 3.65 GHz Band, building a WiMAX
network is and will remain a complex undertaking and the initial planning stage, where the business case is defined and the budget is allocated, is very critical for setting a solid foundation for the success of the initiative. Misjudgments and mistakes made at this stage will influence heavily the next phases; in particular, the subsequent network planning and design phases.