A Comparison of IEEE 802.16e Mobile WiMAX Deployments in 700 MHz and 2500 MHz Bands

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States has made the 700 MHz band available for broadband wireless access. With television channels converting to digital transmission, similar spectrum is expected to be available in other countries since digital TV channels require less spectrum than analog channels. This paper compares the performance and cost of WiMAXTM deployments in the 700 MHz band with those in the 2500 MHz bands. We compare range, coverage, and capacity, and discuss deployment challenges and limitations. Issues in using advanced multiple antenna techniques, such as MIMO and beamforming to enhance range and channel capacity are discussed. Both time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) systems are considered.