This paper performs a comparison of multicast/broadcast services (MBS) support in Long Term Evolution Advanced
(LTE-A) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) IEEE 802.16m. Firstly, the main technical
features of both standards concerning MBS operation are presented. It is shown that WiMAX offers higher unicast/MBS
multiplexing flexibility as it supports both frequency and time multiplexing schemes, whereas LTE-A only includes time
multiplexing. Besides, onlyWiMAX supports multi-antenna transmission. Next, the results of two simulation-based assessments
are presented. In the former, it is considered a scenario with all cells transmitting the same MBS service. The effect of
inter-site distance (ISD) on themaximum MBS data rate is evaluated. Results show thatWiMAXconfigurations outperform
LTE-A for small ISD. This is becauseWiMAX provides a higher number of resources dedicated to data transmission for the
same bandwidth. Furthermore, some WiMAX configurations support two spatially multiplexed data streams. With higher
ISDs, LTE-A outperforms single-stream WiMAX configurations. In the second assessment, a MBSFN area surrounded by
interfering cells is considered to compare unicast/MBS multiplexing performance. The higher maximum MBS data rate is
achieved inWiMAX with time division multiplexing, which is precisely the only alternative included in LTE-A