802.16m wireless standard - speeds of up to 1Gbps

Posted on Friday, February 23 2007 @ 20:49 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Within two years we can expect the IEEE 802.16m wireless standard which promises wireless transfer speeds of up to 1Gbps (125MB/s) and compatibility with WiMAX and 4G.
The new standard is still more than a year or two away, but according to IEEE documents, the group hopes that 802.16m will be able to deliver 1Gbps transfer rates over the air. In fact, 802.16m is "required" to meet downstream speeds of up to 1Gbps in "nomadic" mode, or high efficiency/strong signal mode. The standard also has a "high mobility" mode which allows for 100Mbps rates.

What gives 802.16m the capability to reach such high speeds is its use of multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) technology. MIMO is currently used in a host of 802.11g and 802.11n routers and access points currently available on the market to speed things up. 54Mbps routers that use MIMO are capable of reaching theoretical speeds up to 108Mbit.sec.

The IEEE committee indicated that while 802.16m is not part of the WiMAX, it promises that there will be cross platform compatibility between the two standards. The new high-speed standard is also slated to be compatible with future 4G wireless networks that will make their way into mobile phones roughly two to three years from now. At that time, 4G will be based on OFDMA standards and abandon current WCDMA and CDMA2000 standards.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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