WiMax A Technology for Tomorrow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

WiMax A Technology for Tomorrow - Essay Example The penetration of ICT, and broadband as a means of access, are assessed for the GCC Countries and constraints facing these countries in reaping the full benefits of the modern technology identified. Means to address these problem areas are also suggested. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has inundated our lives and every day makes inroads into new areas. Use of broadband to access the internet and other facilities enabled by ICT has become fairly common all over the world, as also in the GCC countries. Till now only T1, DSL or cable based modem connections were possible for broadband access to the internet. Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) offers the new standard for providing access to the benefits of the new age technologies. The speeds at which data and voice and video transmissions can be made with the WiMax connections is unmatched by any of the conventional systems. This essay attempts to provide a brief overview of the WiMax standards being developed for wireless connectivity to broadband services. It also provides an assessment of the penetration and use of ICT in the GCC at present, and identifies the major constraints to rapid deployment of the use of this technology and suggests the ways in which these problems may be addressed in the immediate future. If the region is to keep pace, with the development and use of ICT by other countries, then action has to be initiated now to bring in wireless broadband connectivity, make it available to all citizens and sectors of the economy and above all, to train its people in the operation and use of the fantastic tool provided to us by modern technology. WiMax - A brief description WiMax is a set of evolving standards for point-to-multipoint wireless networking. For many years now point-to-multipoint microwave networks have been in operation. Provided by companies such as Alcatel and Siemens, these were based on proprietary technology, WiMax offers a standardised technology for enabling wireless broadband access to the internet [1]. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) described wireless connection to broadband services in its standard 802.16. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute lays down specifications, similar to IEEE 802.16, for the High-performance Metropolitan Area Network (HiperMAN). Development of standard specifications, covering both IEEE 802.16 and HiperMAN, was considered vital to the promotion of WiMax in order to ensure inter-operability and connectivity of networks provided by different providers. A non profit organisation 'The WiMax Forum' was formed and nearly all companies that are into wireless technology are members, this forum targeted to provide standards and commercialise this technology. The WiMax forum has nearly 100 members at present and represents the vast majority of bodies, commercial and otherwise, involved in developing the wireless protocol for access to the internet. (The term internet is used here and elsewhere in this paper for convenienc e and includes all transport technologies such as IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet and asynchronous transfer modes). The latest step in wireless computer networking, WiMax has the capability of covering an area having a radius of 30miles, which represents the size of a fairly large metropolis, and that is why