Mobile WiMAX: Performance Analysis and Comparison with Experimental Results

The demand for broadband mobile services continues to grow. Conventional high-speed broadband solutions are based on wired-access technologies such as digital subscriber line (DSL). This type of solution is difficult to deploy in remote rural areas, and furthermore it lacks support for terminal mobility. Mobile broadband wireless access (BWA) offers a flexible and cost-effective solution to these problems. In recent years the WiMax standard has emerged to harmonise the wide variety of different BWA technologies. The first WiMax version was based on the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard and offered wireless links to fixed subscribers. The most recent 802.16e standard supports broadband applications to mobile handsets and laptops. This paper analyses the performance of a mobile WiMAX system operating on all link-speeds in an urban microcell. The simulation results are generated using a fully compliant 802.16e simulator and cover important aspects such as link adaptation, packet error rate and throughput. The theory is supported by experimental data captured in an urban microcell environment using a mobile WiMax basestation. Predicted results are compared with measured data taken from a number of vehicular drive tests. Analysis shows that mobile WiMax is able to achieve a street-level range of 300-2100 m depending on the permitted EIRP level.