802.16m 4G

IEEE Submits 802.16m to ITU for 4G

Posted by Sam Churchill on October 6th, 2009

The IEEE announced today that it has submitted WiMAX 2.0 for IMT-Advanced standardization in theRadiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R).

Samsung and Yota are now testing Mobile WiMAX 2.0 (IEEE 802.16m). Its data transfer speed is four times faster than current Mobile WiMAX (802.16e) networks, thanks to MIMO antennas and other enhancements. Samsung will demonstrate its 802.16m technology this week during ITU Telecom World 2009 in Geneva.

“With WiMAX 802.16m, one will be able to watch the the HD-quality movie on the big screen online. And this is just one of the applications of the new technology,” said Dennis Sverdlov, Yota CEO.

The proposal is based on IEEE standards project 802.16m, the “Advanced Air Interface” specification, under development by theIEEE 802.16 Working Group. The proposal is said to meet ITU-R’s stringent requirements in all four IMT-Advanced “environments”: Indoor, Microcellular, Urban, and High Speed.

The proposal will be presented at the 3rd Workshop on IMT-Advanced in Dresden on 15 October in conjunction with a meeting of ITU-R Working Party 5D.

LTE and WiMAX are often called “4G”, but they are not “official” 4G standards, according to the ITU. The ITU requires 100 Mbps (mobile) and 1 Gbps (fixed) speeds, among other criteria, to qualify as true “4G”.

The 802.16m standard, is said to meet that criteria, and hopes to be adopted as an official standard under the IMT-Advanced umbrella, by the ITU.

Cellular companies are expected to announce a competing 4G standard, calledLTE-Advanced, which would offer similar capabilities. Both may be qualified as true 4G standards in the coming years.

IEEE expects to remain engaged with ITU-R during the deliberative development of the IMT-Advanced recommendations. To aid this communication, a web page and a workshop – the IEEE 802.16m IMT-Advanced Evaluation Group Coordination Meeting – is scheduled for 13 January 2010 in San Diego.

The IEEE 802.16m project provides backward compatibility with legacy 802.16e (Mobile WiMAX) infrastructure and terminal equipment. The draft standard is currently in ballot, with completion expected in 2010.

source : dailywireless.org