CNN takes a look at Sprint’s WiMAX network.
WiMAX takes only one tenth the space of 3G and uses half the power.
Intel explains what’s required for a solar-powered WiMAX basestation (pdf), a capability much more expensive with the higher power requirements of cellular.
Motorola says the build costs of WiMAX base stations are 35 percent lower than cellular and power consumption is reduced by 60 percent.
A common misconception is that mobile stations transmit at maximum power only at the edge of a cell, and lower power when they are closer to the basestation. This is not the case, explains RF Designline; mobile stations will transmit at high powers over a range of distances, ratcheting modulation rates higher as signal strength grows.
The new 802.16m standard will provide increased performance and a Multi-Hop Relay architecture. Self back haul can be implemented such that an adaptive number of sub-channels can be allocated as needed, explains Robert Syputa. This contrasts with Wi-Fi MESH, which results in about a 50% bandwidth hit with each node hop.
The WiMAX Forum says the population covered by WiMAX technology was 621 million by end 2009 and is expected to grow to 800 million by end 2010.
