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WiMAX or LTE : which one is better?
Posted on 24. Apr, 2010 by jai
in Blog, LTE, WiMAX
WiMAX or LTE – which is better? Answer depends on who you talk to. The vendors have their own views, and the operators theirs. Consumers does not think about technology. It is about speed and seamless connectivity, and not having to buy different devices to operate on different platforms.
WiMAX is being deployed at a steady pace worldwide and will try to grab major customers in the market. Operators world wide are doing LTE trials and in Europe Telesonera also has lauched LTE services last year in December. In North america Verizon is set to launch LTE services in Q4, 2010.
Both WiMAX and LTE are based on IP packet-based data carriage, in contrast to 3G and earlier cellphone systems which were designed to accommodate circuit-switched communication. The LTE specification comes from a background of cellular telephony. It would not be surprising if LTE's QoS arrangement and more elaborate upstream and downstream arrangements make it more suitable for voice.
When used primarily for a handheld device with cellphone functions, LTE is at a considerable advantage in that when the device is beyond range of LTE base stations, it can fall back to 2.5G and 3G services, assuming it has the requisite radio technologies, with potentially seamless handover.
For operators, the choice of technology depends on a number of things including available spectrum, legacy inter-working, timing and business focus. To deploy either technology, operators will have to commit tens of billions of dollars in network upgrades for the new mobility landscape, which now includes social, video, location-based and entertainment applications and experiences.
In many countries, the current generation of mobile telecoms networks is 2.5G or 3G. In India, as the 3G auction is underway, the successful foray of WiMAX (a BWA technology) is not only being threatened by another BWA technology called Long Term Evolution Time Division Duplex or TD-LTE.
So which technology has the advantageous position? This is where the debate lies. While LTE invokes the impression of mobility, seamless connectivity (due to 2G, 3G fallback), WiMax invokes the impression of computing. So in the end its all about consumers and How they would like to use them.
Recent introduction of Overdirive by Sprint has again given another dimension to mobile WiFi Hot Spots, LTE may follow same route as well.
Found an interesting presentation on LTE Vs WiMAX, by Mario Eguiluz Alebicto, sharing with you all.
View more presentations from Mario Eguiluz Alebicto.
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Comments
WiMax comes from a different industry
Very good comparison between WiMax and LTEi. A few things to add from a different angle. As an Outdoor Wireless Integrator (http://www.aowireless.com) the one thing that most people don't understand is the industry background between WiMax and LTE.
WiMax was originally developed by Broadband Wireless manufactures as a way to provide last mile fixed wireless connectivity. These were Ethernet wireless players like Alvarion and Proxim (funny how many of the WiMax standards were already found in their existing product lines). Other players like Intel, has a big stake in IP based technologies, joined the forum. The early intent was to get the FCC to open up the 3.5GHz space for multipoint backhaul. This was to serve the WISP market place. Later WiMax evolved to the carrier space as a mobile technology.
LTE was the evaluation of the carrier's TDM transport to gain broadband to mobile devices. Many carriers like LTE because it's just an evolved technology of what they are already use to. Many of it's supporters are the manufactures that have been part of the mobile market all along.
WiMax has gained great ground recently world wide because the equipment is very inexpensive and can be readily deployed for both fixed and mobile applications. The other advantage is that IT (people that understand IP Ethernet) can easily take part because they understand the networking background required for WiMax networks.
One big difference is that LTE is solely a licensed microwave technology where WiMax is mostly unlicensed (at least in the USA). Many carriers are having the WiMax manufactures produce radio equipment that will work in their licensed bands.