Why is there a stress on the lower frequency bands?
Not all spectrum is equal. The lower the frequency band, the fewer the base stations required. Since deployment cost is a key factor in accelerating deployment of BWA, access to lower frequency bands is critical. Availability of lower frequency bands for broadband access will increase broadband penetration. The WiMax Forum is working with regulators to advance the allocation of licensed and license-exempt spectrum in lower frequency bands. How are WiMax norms different from those related to Wi-Fi? Much progress has been made in gettinglicense-exempt spectrum in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands around the globe. Because Wi-Fiis designed to operate in LANs,it is used mostly for private LANs and the spectrum can be ‘re-used’. For commercial WiMax networks with cell sizes of 1 km or more, the spectrum cannot be re-used by many different deployments. That is why networks that cover large expanses of area are often done in the licensed spectrum. Deploying a large footprint network(metropolitan area i
