VOIP AND IP | WIMAX APPLICATIONS

The WiMAX standard has been developed to address a wide range of applications. Based on its technical attributes and service classes, WiMAX is suited to supporting a large number of usage scenarios. Table 1 address a wide range of applications.

Table 1: Summary of WiMAX Applications 

Class Description	Real Time	Application Type	Bandwidth
Interactive gaming	Yes	Interactive gaming	50–85 Kbps
VoIP, video conferencing	Yes	VoIP	4–64 Kbps
		Videophone	32–384 Kbps
Streaming media	Yes	Music/speech	5–128 Kbps
		Video clips	20–384 Kbps
		Movies streaming	>2 Mbps
Information technology	No	Instant messaging	<250 byte messages
		Web browsing	>500 Kbps
		Email (with attachments)	>500 Kbps
Media content download (store and forward)	No	Bulk data, Movie download	>1 Mbps
		Peer to peer	>500 Kbps

Mobile WiMAX is an all-IP network. The use of OFDMA on the physical layer makes it capable of supporting IP applications. It is a wireless solution that not only offers competitive Internet access, but it can do the same for telephone service.

VoIP offers a wider range of voice services at reduced cost to subscribers and service providers alike. VoIP is expected to be one of the most popular WiMAX applications. Its value proposition is immediate to most users. Although WiMAX is not designed for switched cellular voice traffic as cellular technologies as are CDMA and WCDMA, it will provide full support for VoIP traffic because of QoS functionality and low latency. IPTV enables a WiMAX service provider to offer the same programming as cable or satellite TV service providers. IPTV, depending on compression algorithms, requires at least 1 Mbps of bandwidth between the WiMAX BS and the subscriber. In addition to IPTV programming, the service provider can also offer a variety of video on demand (VoD) services. IPTV over WiMAX also enables the service provider to offer local programming as well as revenue generating local advertising.

WiMAX Broadband Applications

Broadband communication service is the transfer of digital audio (voice), data, and/or video communications at rates greater than wideband communications rates (above 1 Mbps). Broadband connections allow for the providing of multiple services such as telephone (voice), data, and video on one network.

WiMAX VoIP

Digital telephony is a communication system that uses digital data to represent and transfer analog signals. These analog signals can be audio signals (acoustic sounds) or complex modem signals that represent other forms of information.

WiMAX systems can provide telephone services through the use of IP Telephony (voice over Internet protocol – VoIP). These IP networks initiate, process, and receive voice or digital telephone communications using IP protocol. WiMAX systems can provide digital telephone service through the use of analog telephone adapters (ATAs) or IP telephones. ATAs convert IP signals into standard telephone (dial tone) formats.