Wimax

Wi-Fi Glossary

Find a Wi-Fi Term

Wi-Fi® is a registered certification mark of the Wi-Fi Alliance

internet.commerce

Be a Commerce Partner

Education Online

Memory

Giveaways

Mortgage Refinance

Compare Products

Computer Parts

Corporate Gifts

Web Programming

Cell Phone Plans

Prepaid Calling Cards

Mortgage Refinancing

PDA Phones & Cases

Phone Systems

internet.com

Developer

Downloads

International

Internet Lists

Internet News

Internet Resources

IT

Linux/Open Source

Personal Technology

Small Business

Windows Technology

xSP Resources

Search internet.com

Advertise

Corporate Info

Newsletters

Tech Jobs

E-mail Offers

>> Wi-Fi Planet Marketplace

Easy to use

WiFi Spectrum Analyzer

BVS Handheld

Spectrum Analyzer

iSite WLAN Survey and Design

RELATED ARTICLES

802.16: A Look Under the Hood

802.16: The Future in Last Mile Wireless Connectivity

802.16: A Future Option for Wireless MANs

Is Intel Now the Wireless MAN?

Whitepaper: Achieving Regulatory Compliance for IT Change and Configuration Control. Learn the 5 best practices for achieving the COBIT objectives and how you can achieve compliance.

802.16e vs. 802.20

By Vikki Lipset

With WiMax poised to usher in the second coming of fixed wireless broadband, two Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (define) working groups are turning their attentions to mobile broadband so you can use that high-speed connection on the road.

The emerging 802.16e and 802.20 standards will both specify new mobile air interfaces for wireless broadband. On the surface the two standards seem very similar, but there are some important differences between them. For one, 802.16e will add mobility in the 2 to 6 GHz licensed bands, while 802.20 aims for operation in licensed bands below 3.5GHz.

More importantly, the 802.16e specification will be based on an existing standard (802.16a), while 802.20 is starting from scratch. This means that products based on 16e will likely hit the market well before .20 solutions -- a distinct advantage for the WiMax Forum, the group currently backing 802.16 and its permutations.

The IEEE approved the 802.16e standards effort in February with the avowed intent of increasing the use of broadband wireless access (BWA) by taking advantage of the "inherent mobility of wireless