WiMAX for Broadband Wireless Access

By:
Karim M. El Defrawy
ICS
UCI-2005
Outline
What is WiMAX
802.16 Introduction
802.16 MAC Highlights
802.16 Reference Model
MAC Convergence Sub-Layer (CS)
MAC Common Part Sub-Layer (CPS)
MAC Privacy Sub-Layer (PS)
Questions
What is WiMAX?
Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access (WiMAX) is the
common name associated to the IEEE
802.16a/REVd/e standards.

These standards are issued by the IEEE
802.16 subgroup that originally covered
the Wireless Local Loop technologies
with radio spectrum from 10 to 66 GHz.
IEEE 802.16 -- Introduction
IEEE 802.16 (2001)
Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access System MAC and
PHY Specifications for 10 66 GHZ (LoS)
One PHY: Single Carrier
Connection-oriented, TDM/TDMA MAC, QoS, Privacy

IEEE 802.16a (January 2003)
Amendment to 802.16, MAC Modifications and Additional PHY
Specifications for 2 11 GHz (NLoS)
Three PHYs: OFDM, OFDMA, Single Carrier
Additional MAC functions: OFDM and OFDMA PHY support, Mesh
topology support, ARQ

IEEE 802.16d (July 2004)
Combines both IEEE 802.16 and 802.16a
Some modifications to the MAC and PHY

IEEE 802.16e (2005?)
Amendment to 802.16-2004
MAC Modifications for limited mobility

IEEE 802.16 -- Introduction
Coverage range up to 50km and speeds up to
70Mbps(shared among users).
IEEE 802.16 -- Introduction
Source: WiMAX, making ubiquitous high-speed data services a reality, White Paper, Alcatel.

IEEE 802.16 MAC -- Highlights
WirelessMAN: Point-to-Multipoint and optional mesh
topology
Connection-oriented
Multiple Access: DL TDM & TDMA, UL TDMA;UL OFDMA
& TDMA, DL OFDMA & TDMA (Optional)
PHY considerations that affect the MAC
Duplex: TDD, FDD, FDX FDD BS and SS, HDX FDD SS
Adaptive burst profiles (Modulation and FEC) on both DL
and UL
Protocol-independent core (ATM, IP, Ethernet)
Flexible QoS offering (CBR, rt-VBR, nrt-VBR, BE)
Strong security support
Reference Model
Adaptive PHY
Source: Understanding WiMAX and 3G for Portable/Mobile Broadband Wireless, Technical White
Paper, Intel.
Adaptive Burst Profiles
Burst profile: Modulation and FEC
On DL, multiple SSs can associate the
same DL burst
On UL, SS transmits in an given time slot
with a specific burst
Dynamically assigned according to link
conditions
Burst by burst
Trade-off capacity vs. robustness in real time
Duplex Scheme Support
The duplex scheme is Usually specified by
regulatory bodies, e.g., FCC
Time-Division Duplex (TDD)
Downlink & Uplink time share the same RF channel
Dynamic asymmetry
does not transmit & receive simultaneously (low
cost)
Frequency-Division Duplex (FDD)
Downlink & Uplink on separate RF channels
Full Duplexing (FDX): can Tx and Rx
simultaneously;
Half-duplexing (HDX) SSs supported (low cost)
IEEE 802.16 MAC
OFDM PHY TDD Frame Structure
DL Subframe
Frame n-1
pre.
Time
Adaptive
Frame n Frame n+1
UL subframe
FCH
DL
burst 1
DL
burst n
UL
MAP
Broadcast Conrol msgs
...
UL burst 1 UL burst m
DL
MAP
DCD
opt.
UCD
opt.
...
DL
burst 2
UL TDMA
DL TDM
pre. pre.
IEEE 802.16 MAC
OFDM PHY FDD Frame Structure
DL Subframe
Frame n-1
pre.
Time
Broadcast
Control Msgs
Frame n Frame n+1
UL subframe
FCH
DL
burst 1
DL
burst k
...
DL TDMA
UL burst 1 UL burst m
DL
burst 2
DL
burst n
DL
burst k+1
...
DL TDM
...
UL TDMA
DL
MAP
UL
MAP
DCD
opt.
UCD
opt.
pre. pre.
UL MAP for next
MAC frame UL
bursts
pre. pre.
FDD MAPs Time Relevance
frame
Broadcast
Full Duplex Capable User
Half Duplex T erminal #1
Half Duplex T erminal #2
UPLINK
DOWNLINK
DL
MAP
UL
MAP
DL
MAP
UL
MAP
IEEE 802.16 MAC addressing and
Identifiers
SS has 48-bit IEEE MAC address
BS has 48-bit base station ID
Not a MAC address
24-bit operator indicator
16-bit connection ID (CID)
32-bit service flow ID (SFID)
16-bit security association ID
(SAID)
IEEE 802.16 MAC
Convergence Sub-Layer (CS)
ATM Convergence Sub-Layer:
Support for VP/VC switched connections
Support for end-to-end signaling of
dynamically created connections
ATM header suppression
Full QoS support

Packet Convergence Sub-Layer:
Initial support for Ethernet, VLAN, IPv4, and
IPv6
Payload header suppression
Full QoS support
IEEE 802.16 MAC -- CS
Packet Convergence Sub-Layer
Functions:
Classification: mapping the higher layer PDUs
(Protocol Data Units) into appropriate MAC
connections
Payload header suppression (optional)
MAC SDU (Service Data Unit), i.e, CS PDU,
formatting
Packet PDU
(e.g., IP packet, Ethernet Packet)
PHSI
MAC SDU = CS PDU
Payload Header Suppression Index
Optional, Depending on upper layer
protocol
IEEE 802.16 MAC -- CPS
MAC PDU Format
CRC
(optional) MAC PDU
payload (optional)
Generic MAC
Header
(6 bytes)
LEN
msb
(3)
H
T
CID msb (8) LEN lsb (8)
Generic MAC Header Format
(Header Type (HT) = 0)
BW Req. Header Format
(Header Type (HT) =1)
msb lsb
E
C
Type (6 bits)
rs
v
C
I
EKS
(2)
rs
v
HCS (8) CID lsb (8)
BW Req.
msb (8)
H
T
CID msb (8) BWS Req. lsb (8)
E
C
Type (6 bits)
HCS (8) CID lsb (8)
IEEE 802.16 MAC -- CPS
-- Three Types of MAC PDUs
Data MAC PDUs
HT = 0
Payloads are MAC SDUs/segments, i.e., data
from upper layer (CS PDUs)
Transmitted on data connections
Management MAC PDUs
HT =0
Payloads are MAC management messages or
IP packets encapsulated in MAC CS PDUs
Transmitted on management connections
BW Req. MAC PDUs
HT =1; and no payload, i.e., just a Header

IEEE 802.16 MAC -- CPS
Data Packet Encapsulations
P
H
SI
MAC PDU
Ethernet Packet
Ethernet Packet
Packet PDU
(e.g., Ethernet)
CS PDU
(i.e., MAC SDU)
HT
FEC block 1
CRC MAC PDU Payload
OFDM
symbol
1
PHY Burst
(e.g., TDMA burst)
Preamble
OFDM
symbol
2
OFDM
symbol
n
......
FEC
FEC Block 2 FEC block m
......
FEC Block 3
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
-- MAC Management Connections
Each SS has 3 management connections in each
direction:
Basic Connection:
short and time-urgent MAC management messages
MAC mgmt messages as MAC PDU payloads
Primary Management connection:
longer and more delay tolerant MAC mgmt
messages
MAC mgmt messages as MAC PDU payloads
Secondary Management Connection:
Standard based mgmt messages, e.g., DHCP,
SNMP, etc
IP packets based CS PDU as MAC PDU payload

IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
MAC Management Messages
MAC mgmt message format:
MAC mgmt msg payload
mgmt
msg
HD
8 bits
MAC mgmt msg can be sent on: Basic connections; Primary
mgmt connection; Broadcast connection; and initial ranging
connections
41 MAC mgmt msgs specified in 802.16
The TLV (type/length/value) encoding scheme is used in MAC
mgmt msg, e.g., in UCD msg for UL burst profiles,
(type=1, length=1, value=1) QPSK modulation
(type=1, length=1, value=2) 16QAM modulation
(type=1, length=1, value=3) 64QAM modulation
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
MAC PDU Transmission
MAC PDUs are transmitted in PHY Bursts
The PHY burst can contain multiple FEC
blocks
MAC PDUs may span FEC block
boundaries
Concatenation
Packing
Segmentation
Sub-headers
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
MAC PDU Concatenation
MAC PDU 2
HT
FEC block 1
CRC MAC PDU Payload
OFDM
symbol
1
PHY Burst
(e.g., TDMA burst)
Preamble
OFDM
symbol
2
OFDM
symbol
n
......
FEC
FEC Block 2 FEC block m
......
FEC Block 3
MAC PDU 1
HT CRC MAC PDU Payload
......
MAC PDU k
HT CRC
MAC PDU
Payload
Multiple MAC PDUs are concatenated into the same PHY burst
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
MAC PDU Fragmentation
FEC block
1
OFDM
symbol
1
PHY Burst
Pre.
MAC SDU
OFDM
symbol
n1
......
FEC
FEC Block
m1
......
MAC SDU
seg-1
HT CRC MAC PDU Payload
HT CRC
MAC PDU
Payload
A MAC SDU can be fragmented into multiple segments, each
segment is encapsulated into one MAC PDU
FEC block
1
OFDM
symbol
1
PHY Burst
Pre.
OFDM
symbol
n2
......
FEC Block
m2
......
HT CRC
MAC PDU
Payload
MAC SDU
seg-2
MAC SDU
seg-3
F
S
H
F
S
H
Fragmentation
Sub-Header
(8 bits)
F
S
H
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
MAC PDU Packing
MAC
SDU 1
Fixed size MSDUs, e.g., ATM
Cells, on the same connection
HT CRC MAC PDU Payload
HT CRC
Packing with fixed size MAC SDUs (no packing sub-header is needed)
......
PSH
MAC
SDU 2
MAC
SDU k
Packing with variable size MAC SDUs (Packing Sub-Heade is neeeded)
PSH
......
PSH
MAC SDU or
seg. 1
MAC SDU or seg 2
MAC SDU or
seg n
Variable size
MSDUs or MSDU
segments, e.g.,
IP packets, on
the same
connection
Packing
Sub-Heder
(16 bits)
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
QoS
Three components of 802.16 QoS
Service flow QoS scheduling
Dynamic service establishment
Two-phase activation model (admit first, then activate)
Service Flow
A unidirectional MAC-layer transport service characterized
by a set of QoS parameters, e.g., latency, jitter, and
throughput assurances
Identified by a 32-bit SFID (Service Flow ID)
Three types of service flows
Provisioned: controlled by network management system
Admitted: the required resources reserved by BS, but not
active
Active: the required resources committed by the BS

IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Uplink Service Classes
UGS: Unsolicited Grant Services
rtPS: Real-time Polling Services
nrtPS: Non-real-time Polling
Services
BE: Best Effort

IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Uplink Services: UGS
UGS: Unsolicited Grant Services
For CBR or CBR-like services,
e.g., T1/E1.
The BS scheduler offers fixed size
UL BW grants on a real-time
periodic basis.
The SS does not need to send any
explicit UL BW req.

IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Uplink Services: rtPS
rtPS: Real-time Polling Services
For rt-VBR-like services, e.g., MPEG
video.
The BS scheduler offers real-time,
periodic, UL BW request opportunities.
The SS uses the offered UL BW req.
opportunity to specify the desired UL
BW grant.
The SS cannot use contention-based
BW req.
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Uplink Services: nrtPS
nrtPS: non-real-time polling
services
For nrt-VBR-like services, such as,
bandwidth-intensive file transfer.
The BS scheduler shall provide timely
(on a order of a second or less) UL BW
request opportunities.
The SS can use contention-based BW
req. opportunities to send BW req.
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Uplink Services: BE
BE: Best Effort
For best-effort traffic, e.g., HTTP,
SMTP.
The SS uses the contention-based
BW request opportunities.

IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Bandwidth Grant
BW grants are per Subscriber Station:
Allows real-time reaction to QoS need, i.e., SS may re-
distribute bandwidth among its connections, maintaining
QoS and service-level agreements
Lower overhead, i.e., less UL-MAP entries compare to grant
per connection
Off- loading base stations work
Requires intelligent subscriber station to redistribute the
allocated BW among connections
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
BW Request/Grant Mechanisms
Implicit requests (UGS): No actual requests
BW request messages, i.e., BW req. header
Sends in either a contention-based BW req. slot or a
regular UL allocation for the SS;he special B
Requests up to 32 KB with a single message Request
Incremental or aggregate, as indicated by MAC header
Piggybacked request (for non-UGS services only)
Presented in Grant Management (GM) sub-header in a
data MAC PDU of the same UL connection
is always incremental
Up to 32 KB per request for the CID
Poll-Me bit
Presented in the GM sub-header on a UGS connection
request a bandwidth req. opportunity for non-UGS services
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
-- Contention UL Access
Two types of Contention based UL slots
Initial Ranging
Used for new SS to join the system
Requires a long preamble
BW Request
Used for sending BW req
Short preamble
Collision Detection and Resolution
Detection: SS does not get the expected response
in a given time
Resolution: a truncated binary exponential backoff
window
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
UL Sub-Frame Structure
Source: http://www.cygnuscom.com/pdf/WP_PN_Article.pdf
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Ranging
Ranging is a process of acquiring the
correct timing offset, and PHY
parameters, such as, Tx power level,
frequency offset, etc. so that the SS can
communicate with the BS correctly.
BS performs measurements and
feedback.
SS performs necessary adjustments.
Two types of Ranging:
Initial ranging: for a new SS to join the system
Periodic ranging (also called maintenance
ranging): dynamically maintain a good RF link.
IEEE 802.16 MAC CPS
Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ)
A Layer-2 sliding-window based flow control
mechanism.
Per connection basis.
Only effective to non-real-time applications.
Uses a 11-bit sequence number field.
Uses CRC-32 checksum of MAC PDU to check
data errors.
Maintain the same fragmentation structure for
Retransmission.
Optional.
IEEE 802.16 MAC
Privacy Sub-layer (PS)
Two Major Functions:
Secures over-the-air transmissions
Protects from theft of service
Two component protocols:
Data encryption protocol
A client/server model based Key
management protocol (Privacy Key
Management, or PKM)

IEEE 802.16 MAC PS
-- Security Associations
A set of privacy information, e.g.,
encryption keys, used encryption
algorithm
Three types of Security Associations (SAs)
Primary SA: established during initial registration
Static SA: provisioned within the BS
Dynamic SA: dynamically created on the fly
Identified by a 16-bit SAID
Connections are mapped to SAs
IEEE 802.16 MAC PS
-- Multi-level Keys and Their Usage
Public Key
Contained in X.509 digital certificate
Issued by SS manufacturers
Used to encrypt AK
Authorization Key (AK)
Provided by BS to SS at authorization
Used to derive KEK
Key Encryption Key (KEK)
Derived from AK
Used to encrypt TEK
Traffic Encryption Key (TEK)
Provided by BS to SS at key exchange
Used to encrypt traffic data payload
IEEE 802.16 MAC PS
-- Data Encryption
Use DES (Data Encryption Standard) in
CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) mode with
IV (Initialization Vector).
CBC IV is calculated from
IV parameter in TEK keying info; and
PHY synchronization field in DL-MAP.
Only MAC PDU payload (including sub-
headers) is encrypted.
MAC PDU headers are unencrypted.
Management messages are
unencrypted.
IEEE 802.16 MAC
one big item is out of scope

Scheduler
Questions ??

References
IEEE802.16-2004
Alcatel White Paper: WiMAX, making
ubiquitous high-speed data services a
reality
Intel White Paper: Understanding WiMAX
and 3G for Portable/Mobile Broadband
Wireless
WiMAX Forum: www.wimaxforum.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMax
IEEE 802.16 MAC commonly used
terms
BS Base Station
SS Subscriber Station, (i.e., CPE)
DL Downlink, i.e. from BS to SS
UL Uplink, i.e. from SS to BS
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
TDD Time Division Duplex
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
TDM Time Division Multiplexing
OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing
OFDMA - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple
Access
QoS Quality of Service