Analysis of Propagation Models, Delay, and Throughput for WiMAX in Urban Environments

Abstract

This chapter presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of the electromagnetic signal propagation between a base station and a subscriber station in an urban setting using the IEEE 802.16d standard and test bed results, which are then compared to Ergeg’s (1998) modified version of the Hata-Okomura (1980) mathematical propagation model. The experimental results of the measurements are similar to the model using the type terrain Category B (Suburban). Additionally, under experimental conditions, equipment with technology IEEE 802.16d and IEEE 802.16e were used to analyze delay and throughput while data, voice, and video was transmitted. The tests show that delay is acceptable for Fixed WiMAX, although it is barely adequate for Mobile WiMAX. As far as throughput is concerned, the average rate is adequate to support applications that include data, voice, and video.