Extending the benefits of WiMAX to unlicensed bands

WiMAX is only available for licensed bands (2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz and others in the future) for which a certification program has been defined by the WiMAX Forum. What if an operator wants to use the same core technology (the IEEE 802.16 standard is defined for any spectrum band up to 6 GHz) in an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz band or the US 3.65 GHz ones? Of course the equipment will not be certified, but it can still provide the functionality and performance of WiMAX technology.

For operators that do have no access or insufficient access to licensed spectrum, the ability to use WiMAX technology in license-exempt bands is quite attractive as they can benefit from features and price levels of WiMAX equipment. In a paper that was just released, I discuss the advantages for operators looking to use equipment based on IEEE 802.16e in license-exempt bands and present case studies from three operators, Adam Internet, Azulstar and Towerstream. You can download the paper here.

As always I look forward to hear your comments—what are your thoughts on deploying WiMAX technologies in unlicensed bands? Is there scope for adding a certification program for these bands? My understanding here is that certification is a must-have for products that operate in licensed bands, but operators operating in license-exempt bands are not quite as vocal in requiring certification (although I do know of a few exceptions…).