Broadband wireless access (BWA) is an access technology that is particularly suited to new operators without an existing infrastructure to serve the end users. It is in direct competition with incumbent telecom operators' digital subscriber lines (DSL) and cable operators' cable modem technology. BWA systems make use of millimeter-wave radio frequencies above 20 GHz as well as of microwave frequencies between 2 and 11 GHz. BWA systems at millimeter-wave frequencies are often referred to as Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) systems. While LMDS systems are designed for line-of-sight (LOS) propagation and use small cell sizes, BWA access systems at lower microwave frequencies are designed for non-LOS propagation and typically use much larger cell sizes. In this article, we present the basic characteristics of both types of BWA networks, describe the technologies used and the current standardization work in this field by the IEEE 802.16 Group in the US and the ETSI in Europe.
Keywords:
broadband wireless access;
fixed wireless access;
MMDS;
LMDS
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