Will 802.16 complement or compete with 802.11
Hi Lisa,
Do you foresee 802.16 to complement or compete with 802.11s when OFDM will allow for critical mass
penetration within both the building and outside?
Thanks! Adlane
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Kate Gerwig, Editorial Director
Metropolitan Area Networks based on 802.16 fixed broadband wireless provide high-bandwidth
"last mile" connectivity between carrier networks and subscriber networks. Even if OFDM modulation
is used in both technologies, I see 802.16 WMANs as being complementary to 802.11 WLANs. 802.16
will excel at providing site-to-site backbone connectivity, while 802.11 will continue to focus on
host-to-workgroup LAN connectivity. There may be some overlap - for example, 802.11 point-to-point
outdoor bridges. But I believe there are many more situations in which these technologies cater to
different applications as a result of differences in distance, data rate, frequency band, protocol
encapsulation, connection-oriented v. connectionless, QoS management, cost of terminating
equipment, etc.
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This was first published in October 2002