Efficient mobile WiMAX capacity estimations in a multihop environment

The new relay-based architecture for Mobile WiMAX that will allow multihop communication imposes a demanding performance requirement on relay stations. The frame structure used for transmission plays an important role in the design of multihop networks as it manages the channel access and therefore determines the resulting network capacity. In this work we firstly propose a new simple and flexible concept to integrate multihop communications into the mobile WiMAX frame structure and compare this method with other basic concepts already proposed for the upcoming IEEE 802.16j release of the standard. Secondly, we introduce efficient capacity calculations that will allow intensive system level simulations in a mobile WiMAX multihop environment for the purpose of network design. Finally, network capacity is evaluated within a new simulation model for various configurations and services allowing interesting observations about WiMAX radio efficiency. Numerical results and discussion highlight the advantages and drawbacks of the selected strategies and provide a deeper understanding on the range extension aspect of a relay network.