A Survey of Mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16m Standard <s> A. Flexibility enhancements to support heterogeneous users in IEEE 802.16m: <s> Mobile WiMAX is a fast growing broadband access technology that enables low-cost mobile Internet applications, and realizes the convergence of mobile and fixed broadband access in a single air interface and network architecture. Mobile WiMAX combines OFDMA and advanced MIMO schemes along with flexible bandwidth and fast link adaptation, creating a highly efficient air interface that exceeds the capacity of existing and evolving 3G radio access networks. WiMAX networks, built on all-IP network architecture for plug and play network deployments, can support a mix of different usage and service models. While some consider mobile WiMAX as a candidate for the fourth generation of mobile networks, others view it as the first generation of mobile Internet technologies emerging from a wider ecosystem targeting to extend the success of WiFi over wide area networks supporting mobility. This article provides a high-level overview of mobile WiMAX technology and its evolution roadmap from both radio and network perspectives. <s> BIB001 </s> A Survey of Mobile WiMAX IEEE 802.16m Standard <s> A. Flexibility enhancements to support heterogeneous users in IEEE 802.16m: <s> One of the newest technologies to join the fray is mobile WiMax, a version of traditional WiMax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access), which enables high-speed fixed wireless communications. Mobile WiMax proponents hope their approach will compete with cellular, Wi-Fi, and last-mile Internet-access technologies such as DSL and cable. The IEEE plans to adopt mobile WiMax 2.0, formally called IEEE 802.16m later this year. The technology would offer data rates of 100 Mbps for mobile uses and 1 Gbps for fixed applications via enhanced MIMO technology. If adopted on schedule, industry observers expect mobile WiMax 2.0 to appear in products by 2012. <s> BIB002
Because the goal of future wireless systems is to cater to needs of different users, efficient and flexible designs are needed. For some users (such as streaming low-rate applications) link reliability may be more important than high data rates, whereas others may be interested in achieving the maximum data rate even if a retransmission, and, therefore, additional delay may be required    . Moreover, the co-existence of different users should be achieved with relatively low control overhead. For these reasons, the frame format, the subcarrier mapping schemes and the pilot structure are being modified for 802.16m with respect to 802.16e. Each 802.16e frame consists of a downlink (DL) and an uplink (UL) part separated in time by an OFDMA symbol and is of variable size  BIB001 . The (downlink or uplink) frame begins by control information that all users employ to synchronize and to determine if and when they should receive or transmit in the given frame. Control information is followed by data transmission by the base station (in the downlink subframe) or the mobile stations (in the uplink subframe). For each mobile station, transmission or reception happens in blocks that are constructed from basic units called slots. Each slot can be thought of as a two-dimensional block, one dimension being the time, the other dimension being the frequency. In general, a slot extends over one subchannel in the frequency direction and over 1 to 3 OFDMA symbols in the time direction, depending on the permutation scheme. The subchannels are groups of OFDMA subcarriers. The number of subcarriers per subchannel and the distribution of the subcarriers that make up a subchannel in the OFDMA symbol are determined based on the permutation scheme. As explained in more detail below, the subcarriers of a given subchannel are not always consecutive in frequency. Downlink and uplink subframes can be divided into different zones where different permutation schemes are used  BIB002 . In the Partial Usage of Subchannels (PUSC) zone that is mandatory, the priority is to improve diversity and to spread out the effect of inter-cell interference. Each slot extends over 2 OFDMA symbols, and a subchannel consists of 24 data subcarriers that are distributed over the entire signal bandwidth (OFDMA symbol). Thus, each subchannel has approximately the same channel quality in terms of the channel gain and the inter-cell interference. To reduce the effect of the inter-cell interference, when PUSC is used, the available subchannels are distributed among base stations so that adjacent base stations not use the same subchannels. When the inter-cell interference is not significant, as in the case of mobile stations located closely to a base station, it may be advantageous to employ Full Usage of Subchannels (FUSC). The goal of the FUSC permutation scheme is similar to PUSC, i.e, to improve diversity and to spread out the effect of inter-cell interference. However, as the name suggests, in the FUSC zone all subchannels are used by a base station. For this reason, the design of the pilot pattern for the FUSC zone is slightly more efficient compared to PUSC. A subchannel in the FUSC permutation zone consists of 48 data subcarriers and the slot only comprises one OFDMA symbol.