2. WHITEPAPER
Abstract
The last three decade of technological advancement and worldwide
adoption of wireless networks have been phenomenal, bringing us through
basic analog first generation (1G) to the now high-speed digital fourth
generation (4G) systems. Providing us with increased data transfer rates
that make VoIP, real-time information sharing, video streaming and
data-intensive applications possible today, delivering mobility which users
have come to expect through wireless devices.
Continuous improvements in semiconductor and computing technologies
are providing great encouragement to the industry and consumers to
automatically anticipate what’s next. The dawn of 4G is fast coming into
reality with over 583(1) WiMAX and 105(2) LTE networks deployed to date.
As we move towards embracing this adoption either by choice or by
chance, there is much debate especially amongst the WiMAX service
provider community as to which technology camp to adopt. Much of this
can be attributed to the breadth of technology covered under the 4G
banner, the wide range of business interests involved in creating the 4G
vision and the various progression path of making 4G real.
The purpose of this paper is to:
• Summarize the current state of Wireless Broadband & Networking
• Present the next decade of change installed for WiMAX
• State key 4G device requirements
1WiMAX Forum : Monthly Industry
Report, May 2011
2GSA : GSA Evolution To LTE Report,
Oct 2012
3. WHITEPAPER
Contents
The Current State of Wireless Networking 01
Going Beyond 3G
WiMAX in Focus
The Next Decade for WiMAX 06
The Path to 4G – Connecting People
- WiMAX in 4G
The Path to M2M – Connecting Machines
- WiMAX in M2M
4G Requirements for Device 14
4. WHITEPAPER The Current State of Wireless Networking - 01
The Current State of
Wireless Networking
Business is increasingly becoming a mobile activity, and as a result, the
wireless networks and services used to support those developments are
growing in importance. In both the business-to-business (B2B) and
business-to-consumer (B2C) environments, the availability of more reliable,
higher-capacity wireless data networks allow the expanding reach of
business into the mobile environment. The evolution of our public wireless
networks can be depicted in four distinct generations, each of which is
characterized by a number of key technical innovations that resulted to
specific commercial impact.
The early ‘First Generation’ systems comprise of independently-developed
systems worldwide like Analogue Mobile Phone System (AMPS), used in
America, Total Access Communication System (TACS), used in parts of
Europe, Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT), used in parts of Europe and
Japanese Total Access Communication System (J-TACS), used in Japan
and Hong Kong. The use of analogue technology were confined within
national boundaries attracting only a small number of users, as the
equipment was expensive, cumbersome and power-hungry, and therefore
was only practical in a vehicle that is able to provide a power source.
The ‘Second Generation’ digital systems known as Global System for
Mobile Communication (GSM) brought about noticeable change, propelling
wireless telecommunication further by making global roaming possible, due
in part by the collaborative spirit in which it was developed under the
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). GSM became a
robust, interoperable and widely-accepted standard. Fuelled by advances
in mobile handset technology, which resulted in small, fashionable terminals
with long battery life. The widespread acceptance of the GSM standard
became near-universal, first in the developed world with voice and text,
then later through the introduction of basic data services. Meanwhile in the
developing world, GSM begin connecting communities and individuals in
remote regions where fixed-line connectivity was nonexistent and would be
cost prohibitive to deploy.
5. WHITEPAPER The Current State of Wireless Networking - 02
This ubiquitous availability and user-friendliness sparked practical
consumer reliance and increased demand, thus providing the industry with
encouragement for continuous progression. Over the last decade,
expansion of service provisioning grew beyond voice and leans heavily
towards packet-switched data with the development of numerous ‘Third
Generation’ technologies, dominated mainly by the 3rd Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP & 3GPP2) family of technologies which sparked
the Wireless Broadband race.
Introduced in the early days of 2002, the second path of evolution of
wireless broadband emerged, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 802 LAN/MAN standard committee created the 802.16
standard or more commonly known as WiMAX. While the first version
802.16-2004 was restricted to fixed access, the following version 802.16e
and often referred to as mobile WiMAX, includes basic support of mobility.
In later years, the International Standards Union (ITU) listed WiMAX as an
official IMT-2000 technology, and based on latest adjustments made to the
4G definition, confers mobile WiMAX as ‘Fourth Generation’ (4G), although
debated by certain camps to be more befitting as 3.9G with its next
iteration of 802.16m (an IMT-Advance standard) officially as 4G.
Nevertheless, WiMAX has since 2008, gained popular recognition globally
as a wireless broadband technology standard.
Continuing the technology progression within the 3GPP technology family,
Long Term Evolution (LTE) emerged as its latest technology standard to
complete the trend of expansion of service provision towards multiservice
air interface. Relatively new to market, LTE has rapidly moved from the early
stages of deployment, to demonstrate its commercial applicability and fit by
a broad set of global operator segments within varying spectrums.
Recognizing these developments, the wireless industry is now aligning itself
to take advantage of these advancements. Identifying LTE as the principle
wireless platform positioned to drive the next decade of wireless networks.
Ultimately, operator networks will support an all IP-based framework as
specified in 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards. Similarly to that extent, WiMAX,
previously a rival technology would follow suit and integrate the support of
both WiMAX and 3GPP TD-LTE standards.
6. WHITEPAPER The Current State of Wireless Networking - 03
The evolution of wireless cellular standards
2G 2.5G 3G 3.5G 3.9G 4G
CDMA CDMA CDMA 1xEVDO UMB
3GPP2
(IS-95A) (IS-95B) 2000 Rel 0/A/B 802.20
E-GPRS LTE LTE
GSM GPRS
EDGE E-UTRA Advance
3GPP TDMA WCDMA HSDPA
(IS-136) FDD/TDD FDD/TDD
TD-SCDMA HSUPA
HSPA+
LCR/TDD FDD/TDD
IEEE Fixed WiMAX
802.16 802.16d Mobile WiMAX WiMAX
802.16e 802.16m
IEEE WiBRO
IEEE
802.11a 802.11g 802.11h 802.11n
802.11b
1995 2000 2010 2015
TDMA/FDMA CDMA OFDM
Going Beyond 3G
GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and HSPA is the technology stream of choice for
the vast majority of the world’s mobile operators, typically offering
commercial downlink speeds of 1-5Mbps with expectation that beyond
10Mbps per user will be widely available in the near future. From a
standardization perspective, 3G work is now well-advanced and, while
improvements continue to be made to maximize performance from
currently deployed systems, there is a limit to the extent to which further
enhancements will be effective. If the motivations were to deliver higher
performance, then this in itself would be relatively easy to achieve. The
added complexity is that such improved performance must be delivered
through systems which are cheaper to install and maintain. Dramatic
reduction in telecommunications charges and increase in capability is
expected. Therefore, in deciding the next standardization step, there must
be a dual approach of seeking considerable performance improvement but
at reduced cost.
7. WHITEPAPER The Current State of Wireless Networking - 04
Cost Relative cost per bit of
transmitted data
• Decreased latency
100 • Increased spectrum efficiency
• Increased peak throughput
80 • Increased capacity per cell
• Flexible spectrum usage
60 • Robust security
• Flexible interoperability
and integration
40
• More..
20
3G 3.5G HSPA WiMAX LTE Technology
3.9G/4G
The road to migration is inevitable, depending on the maturity of the
wireless network ecosystem, viability, cost and variety of consumer devices
including service competitiveness. As more and more mobile data-centric
and mobility driven applications influence the carrier service provider
business models, it will quicken their path to LTE beyond 3G enhancements
of HSPA and HSPA+. With the arrival of LTE and widespread promotion as
substitute for WiMAX is a little unsettling for Greenfield operators that have
invested in WiMAX systems and looking for long term profitability.
Nevertheless, pockets of WiMAX market remains strong in the fixed
applications in emerging markets, rural markets in developed countries and
niche applications such as vertical markets in relation to utility. For many
small and medium size businesses, WiMAX is still an exciting prospect in
ways, as it promises good wireless access and bandwidth boundaries. But
the adoption of WiMAX for service providers are befitting only if the
investment exposure in multiple wireless standards can significantly impact
supply chain expenditures of equipment vendors, component vendors,
operators and eventually subscribers.
8. WHITEPAPER The Current State of Wireless Networking - 05
WiMAX in Focus
WiMAX was the earlier conceived technology available to bring about enabling wireless broadband, on which future mobile
telecommunications system architecture will be built. Several incremental improvements and innovation in radio technology
and command-and-control software have seen the WiMAX standard releasing higher and higher variants of mobile WiMAX in
the form of releases such as Release 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. The latter two, release 1.5 (802.16e Rev 2) and 2.0 (802.16m)
representing short-term and long-term evolution respectively.
Release 1.0 Release 1.5 Release 2.0
ASN anchored mobility, Persistent scheduling for
Reduced Latency
3 ASN profiles reduced MAC overhead
CSN anchored mobility Femto Cell introduction Multihop Relays
CMIP, PMIP Load balancing Self-organizing capability (SON)
IPv4 & optional IPv6 BF+MIMO , UL MIMO (optional) Enhanced VoIP support
GPS & non-GPS Enhanced MCBCS
Idle mode and paging
based location services (both static and dynamic multicasting)
Enhanced Multicast & Broadcast
EAP-based authentication Enhancements to LBS
services ( MCBCS APP and DSx)
Mobile, portable, nomadic, fixed Wimax-WiFi-Bluetooth coexistence Mobility: up to 500 km/hr
Pre-provisioned/static QoS Ethernet services Backward compatibility
Pre- and Post-paid RADIUS Accounting Public Safety & emergency services
O & M Features
Roaming (RADIUS only) OTA pre-provisioning & device
management ( OMA & TR69)
O&M Features Network PCC /PCRF ( Dynamic QoS and
discovery/selection policy based charging)
Load balancing USI ( Universal service interface)
WIMAX SIM
ROHC
Lawful intercept
Key features in the evolution of Mobile WiMAX
Commercially, WiMAX has revolutionized the delivery of wireless broadband, being the high performance, robust and cheaper
alternative to 3G and wireline networks. Enabling vast formations of new Greenfield operators and playing a profound role to
enable communication (simple fixed and nomadic voice) and Internet services to reach vastly across developing and rural
markets (majority of deployments) previously underserved. Yet, further steps of refinement and market diversification must
surely follow in the midst of the equally domineering LTE camp.
In many aspects, WiMAX fundamentals share common characteristics to TD-LTE. Take for example, the modulation technique
of OFDM, where the spectrum is multiplexed in time division (TD) duplex where the uplink and downlink is a time-shared
method that is spectrum efficient. Similarly, TD-LTE offers key technical advantages in antenna system techniques of MIMO
and beamforming, which is also supported in WiMAX. With both uplink and downlink on the same frequency, these
technologies render simplicity and inexpensive implementation that is inherently efficient.
As ITU and 3GPP/3GPP2 standards have now included TD method as a formal part of the specifications to which TD-LTE finds
its place in the 4G infrastructure increasingly in China, India and parts of Asia. This also means WiMAX systems are closer to
a smooth migration to TD-LTE and can still find relevance among the mainstream service offerings. While WiMAX service
providers are getting involved in ensuring their systems are in working order, so are WiMAX chipset vendors like Sequans and
Altair are ready to offer TD-LTE chipsets.
9. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 06
The Next Decade for WiMAX
The Path To 4G –
Connecting People
ITU as the authority to define what constitutes 4G clearly intended to have
the standard alter the paradigm of user-network interaction, where
broadband can be made available to consumer devices. Essentially
eliminating the need for the user to know anything about the network
(operator, topology, radio or technology), achieving the “Always Best
Connected” experience.
To achieve IMT-Advance’s vision of various access systems
interconnected to provide services in a cooperative manner, ITU defines
layers of network based on the geographic scope of coverage and extent
of mobility offered by each layer. Interactions among these networks are
not limited to intra-network (horizontal) or inter-network (vertical) handoffs
for service continuity, but encompass complex functions of billing,
security, privacy, Quality of Service (QoS), fault tolerance and recovery
with the following key attributes:
• Network Discovery and Selection — A subscriber terminal that features
multiple radio technologies and intelligent connectivity management
software that allows participation/presence in multiple networks
simultaneously. Connecting to the best network with the most
appropriate service parameters (QoS, QoE and capacity among
others) for the application.
• Terminal Mobility and Service Continuity — A network that features
intra- and inter-technology handovers, assuring service continuity with
zero or minimal interruption, without a noticeable loss in service quality
- Continuous transparent maintenance of active service instances and
inclusion of various access technologies, from Wi-Fi to OFDMA.
• Support for Multiple Applications and Services — Efficient support for
unicast, multicast and broadcast services and the applications that rely
on them.
10. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 07
• Quality of Service — Consistent application of admission control and
scheduling algorithms regardless of underlying infrastructure and
operator diversity.
• Technology and Topology Independence —Service capability that is
not constrained by topology or technology limitations, but rather
achieve the “Always Best Connected” characteristic.
Complimentary access systems • Full coverage
Distribution • Global access
Layer • Full mobility
• Not necessary individual links
• Full coverage & Hotspots
Cellular • Global roaming
Layer • Full mobility
• Individual links
• Local coverage
• Hotspots
Hotspot
• Global roaming
Layer • Local mobility
• Individual links
• Short range communication
Personal Network
• Global roaming
Layer • Individual links
Fixed (Wired) • Global access
Layer • Personal mobility
Horizontal: Vertical:
Possible return
Handover within Handover
channel
a system between systems
The vision of 4G is a framework for an advanced infrastructure consisting of
architecture, core technologies and open interfaces for building, deploying
and providing applications to achieve ubiquitous, converged broadband
services.
11. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 08
WiMAX in 4G
WiMAX framework has the fundamental technological building blocks to
support the vision of 4G and its framework. The standard has been proven
commercially, giving operators globally the opportunity to launch wireless
broadband services, but predominantly serving the fixed and nomadic
segment. The lack of penetration into the mobile segment is premised on
the basis that WiMAX was not designed with the same emphasis on
mobility and compatibility with operator’s core network as the 3GPP
technology family, which includes core network evolution in addition to the
radio access network evolution. Nevertheless, 802.16m, the next iteration
in the WiMAX roadmap has enhancements outlined that are geared
towards provisioning of new services including worldwide roaming and
interworking /compatibility with other technologies, aimed at increasing
seamless user experience in an all IP framework.
But, technology alone does not dictate adoption. The challenge for
802.16m lies on its capability to attract sufficient market support from
chipset manufacturers, equipment vendors (infrastructure and device)
and the operator community. With WiMAX Forum’s willingness to
integrate elements of TD-LTE standards within its platform, the transition
from WiMAX to TD-LTE will help bridge the divide between differing
technology camps with a level of comfort and quell doubts of
incompatibility. No need to single out any technology, but benefit from
co-existence. The openness of the roadmap evolution supports
harmonization to allow operators to adopt dual or multiple radio access
technologies within their service offerings.
The commercial availability of LTE, which has close similarity to WiMAX,
especially for its time-division LTE (TD-LTE) version have sparked serious
interest, largely due to the wider overall support for this new technology –
ranging from network infrastructure, device, chipsets, technology roadmap
development and host of downstream supply chains. Clearly, the TD-LTE is
popular with WiMAX operators like Packet One Networks in Malaysia,
Clearwire in the US and Yota in Russia. That aside, given that TD-LTE
services entering mainstream, simply for the reasons of plentiful and decent
spectrum prices alongside FD-LTE to augment dual-mode coverage. It is a
matter of time, before the device and chipset multimode roadmaps gain
influence and are sufficiently available.
12. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 09
WiMAX operators are also learning that future subscriber and average
revenue per user (ARPU) growth is not limited to just a fixed wireless
replacement, offering traditional data packages for a fixed fee. Rather,
bundled data services that combine recursive fixed at-home and high value
mobile on-the-go packages, leading to greater revenue and draw out value
from data services such as mobile, video, music, games, Internet access,
navigation and messaging.
Market forces are signaling WiMAX service providers and vendors to evolve
and adapt business models to support the 4G vision in the coming decade.
Emphasizing on advanced infrastructure consisting of architecture, core
technologies and open interfaces for building, deploying and providing
applications to achieve ubiquitous, converged broadband service either:
• Building a loosely coupled heterogeneous network –
Evolving the WiMAX network by adopting some degree of system
interworking, primarily with a 3G and/or LTE service provider through a
form of collaboration. An evolution option well suited for WiMAX
operators with limited spectrum holding. Key integration attributes
includes provisioning and billing, with handover/connectivity selection
mostly managed via multimode devices.
• Building a tightly coupled heterogeneous network –
Evolving the WiMAX network by adopting a converged overlay
structure, primarily with LTE as the secondary/primary co-existing
network. An evolution option well suited for WiMAX operators with
broad spectrum holding. Key integration attributes includes tight
integration at the core and application network layer, have advance
coordination at the access level with extreme automation through
self-organization and cognition and assisted by advance devices with
increased degree of coordination capability.
13. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 10
The Path To M2M –
Connecting Machines
Machine-to-machine communications is an established business that has
functioned behind the scenes and drawn little attention in the past. Today,
however, M2M is experiencing a period of change and growth.
M2M’s resurgence is attributed to the widespread availability of wireless
technologies, which make it possible to reach equipment in locations that were
too remote or too costly to reach before. The trend is also driven by regulatory
incentives to employ M2M in certain markets, such as energy, and
entrepreneurial drive to create innovative and consumer-focused solutions in
others, such as those listed in the table below.
Surveillance systems, control of physical access (e.g. buildings), enviromental
Security and public safety
monitoring (e.g. for natural disasters), backup for landlines.
Smart grid Electricity, gas, water, heating, grid control, industrial metering, demand response.
Tracking and tracing Order management, asset tracking, human monitoring.
Fleet management, car/driver security, enhanced navigation, traffic info, tolls, pay
Vehicular telematics
as you drive, remote vehicle diagnostics.
Payment Point of sale, ATM, vending machines, gaming machines.
Monitoring vital signs, supporting the aged or handicapped, web access
Healthcare
telemedicine points, remote diagnostics.
Remote maintenance and control Industrial automation, sensors, lighting, pump, vending machine control.
Consumer devices Digital photo frame, digital camera, ebook, home management hubs.
Potential applications for wireless M2M
Despite its allure as a new business opportunity, M2M is a broad field and hard
to categorize. It has many touchpoints from those found at the farthest reaches
of the utility grid to vending machines in public places via a variety of wireless
technology options, which will be deployed and configured depending on the
need at hand. Because of its near-ubiquitous availability, wireless network
technologies will find relevance in many M2M markets.
Choosing access technology suitable for M2M applications require strategic
considerations in order to assure that it meets the minimum requirements for
successful service. Areas encompass specific performance, security, and
network management capabilities with the following key attributes:
14. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 11
• Activation Rates Optimized for the “Internet of Things” - most M2M
applications typically have low throughput requirements as they are
only sending small amounts of data, often intermittently or even on an
exception-only basis. M2M applications do benefit from the ability of
the mobile packet gateways to rapidly scale up to a large number
(hundreds of thousands or millions) of activations.
• Quality-of-Service - Utilities demands on strong Service Level
Agreements (SLAs) and require guarantees of reliable network access
especially during emergencies.
• Fault tolerance and Session Recovery – Network architecture designed
with stateful geo-redundancy disaster recovery.
• IPv6 Support for Network Address Availability - millions to hundreds of
millions of new devices are going to be networked in an “Internet of
Things”, an optimal long-term solution is a shift to IPv6, which enables
orders of magnitude larger numbers of available IP addresses.
• Monitoring and provisioning – M2M devices are in majority highly
remote, requiring the capability of monitoring events (movement, theft,
outage) and having the flexibility to provision or follow-up with actions
upon event detection.
• Low power consumption – M2M devices are predominantly requires
low power consumption and specific system-device features is
required to invoke power saving mechanism (e.g: idle, sleep mode) to
optimize power consumption.
15. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 12
WiMAX in M2M
WiMAX Mobile Network Operator/ Mobile Virtual Network Operator
(MNO/MVNO) believes that the mobile M2M market will undergo an
evolution from the general-purpose, mobile network elements to deploy
M2M services, to using equipment that has been specifically optimized for
the needs of the M2M market. Such optimization gives the MNO/MVNO the
benefit of being able to provide a more intelligent network to their
Application Service Provider (ASP) customers and thereby differentiate their
connectivity offering, compete more successfully for ASP business, and,
ultimately, to garner more revenue from selling connectivity services for
M2M applications.
In the face of changing wireless network landscape, WiMAX can easily find its
niche and win over other technologies for M2M support. It offers the best
value to ASPs by providing the greatest feature/functionality at the lowest
cost. The advantages over Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Data Link
Control (DLC) and Mesh networks are significant and compelling enough.
Comparing Access Technologies
WiMAX provides the greatest feature set and fuctionality at the lowest cost
Critical Attribute PLC DLC Mesh WiMAX Cellular
High Bandwith
Suitability for High
Customer Densities
Suitability for Low
Customer Densities
Security
Standards Based
Scalability
Large Supplier Ecosystem
Reliability
Option to Wholesale/Lease
System Availability
Cost
Source : Referenced from Motorola’s Internal Study
16. WHITEPAPER The Next Decade for WiMAX - 13
While most of these aspects are already well developed in the current
WiMAX releases, there exist a small but critical disparity between what is
available in a service model of an operator and what is required by a M2M
enterprise to fulfill its service model. Application development is the most
problematic and challenging part for the M2M market. Presently,
enterprises tend to use custom designed software to manage data and
provision the decision-making and messaging requirements peculiar to
M2M systems which are not functionally built in an existing cellular
network’s system. Fortunately, the WiMAX Forum has formed dedicated
working groups to assist in closing these technological and market gaps.
Specific features are being streamlined and standardized into WiMAX
standards to cater for M2M communications. Engagement focus with
industry players, the utility and enterprise community, in particular for smart
grid, aviation, oil and gas and Smart Cities are underway to clarify use cases
and find specific collaboration fit to expedite the commercialization of
WiMAX in M2M. Although still preliminary, WiMAX operators and WiMAX
equipment vendors have started to embrace M2M, forming models to
serve the sector, treating it as the next new growth area of the decade.
17. WHITEPAPER 4G Requirements for Device - 14
4G Requirements for Device
In WiMAX subscriber devices of today, radio is only a small part of device
capability. Enhanced user experience is central and service providers tend
to market innovative plans for the services and applications that can be
supported. But in essence, ubiquitous radio access will be the essential
backbone to support the next generation of wireless networks.
For mass market 4G applications, device will support a vast number of
services with a powerful and complex communications engine. Radios in
devices already support WiMAX and Wi-Fi, and in smartphones additionally
with cellular, GPS and Bluetooth. International roaming requires devices to
support a variety of radios/bands because globally available frequency
bands are not consistent. As a result, the RF complexity in the device will
increase drastically, requiring radios to support multiple bands and
duplexing methods (FDD & TDD).
In future, the radios in the device will perform local radio resource
management and assist with network resource management.
Device support for carrier aggregation and heterogeneous networks could
enable simultaneous communication over multiple radio access
technologies. The wireless device may also be a gateway for a multitude of
sensors and machine type devices that perform spectrum sensing for
capturing and analyzing the radio environment.
Features to optimize device power consumption will be a key factor in the
future as battery capacity improvements are relatively slow compared to the
evolution of other technologies.
18. WHITEPAPER Greenpacket, Bringing You 4G Wireless Networking Expertise - 15
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