WiMAX Air Interface

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended for all telecom specialists and professionals wishing to understand WiMAX (IEEE 802.16d, 802.16e) air interface concepts. This includes equipment design engineers, network deployment specialists, researchers, research managers, and technology decision makers.

Course Content

  1. Introduction to WiMAX.
    • Role of WiMAX Forum.
    • Review of IEEE 802.16 standards.
    • WiMAX network architecture.
    • LOS and NLOS operation. 
  2. WiMAX Architecture.
    • System requirements and features (spectrum bands, bandwidths, flexibility, throughput requirements).
    • Network overview, ASN, CSN nodes and functions.
    • Protocols stack.
  3. WiMAX PHY layer fundamentals.
    • Wideband channel characteristics.
    • Doppler, multipath, ISI.
    • OFDM, OFDMA.
    • Use of FFT, Cyclic Prefix.
    • Parallel transmission and multiuser diversity.
    • Review of the key algorithms for OFDM / OFDMA transceiver: synchronization and channel estimation.
    • MIMO (STC, beamforming, AMS, SDMA, AAS).
    • Fundamentals of QoS management.
  4. WiMAX Profiles. 
    • Fixed WiMAX (Wireless MAN-SC, -SCa, -OFDM, -OFDMA, WirelessHUMAN).
    • Mobile WiMAX.
    • Capabilities.
  5. WiMAX PHY Layer in-depth.
    • OFDM, OFDMA radio frame structures (FDD, TDD, HFDD).
    • OFDM, OFDMA PHY processing chain for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL).
    • Pilots, frame duration, preambles, DL-MAP, UL-MAP structure.
    • Subchannelization concept.
    • Subcarrier types, sectors and segmentation.
    • Frame Control Header (FCH).
    • Resource request, mapping for DL and UL bursts.
    • DL operations (synchronization, CQI, scheduling and resource allocation, HARQ, MIMO).
    • UL operations (UL transmission, scheduling and resource allocation, HARQ, MIMO).
    • Channel coding in WiMAX.
  6. PHY Layer-related procedures.
    • Measurement control.
    • Network acquisition.
    • Sleep mode.
    • Adaptive Modulation and Coding.
    • Cell search.
    • Synchronization.
    • Random access.
    • Power control. 
    • DL and UL resource assignment.
    • Ranging.
  7. WiMAX MAC Layer.
    • Architecture and functions (QoS, scheduling, HARQ).
    • RRM (scheduling algorithms, power control, resource allocation).
    • HARQ types.
    • MAC sublayers (Service specific Convergence Sublayer, Common Part Sublayer).
  8. Overview of alternative systems.
    • 3GPP-LTE.
    • Future of WiMAX: 802.16m.

Course Objectives

This course describes in detail various options for WiMAX air interface (IEEE 802.16d and 802.16e with the focus on the latter one also known as mobile WiMAX). Our objective is to train a student in such as way that he / she understands well the principles of the WiMAX air interface operation and is able to apply this knowledge in practice, either in the design or deployment of WiMAX systems.

Pre-requisites

Prior experience with 2G / 3G is a plus but is not strictly required. Background in wireless communications will be of help.

Training structure

Three days training divided into logical sessions.

Methodology

Instructor led training.