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IEEE 802.16
Wireless MAN
(Wireless Metropolitan Network)
A Technical Overview of the WirelessMAN
TM
Air Interface
for Broadband Wireless Access, Carl Eklund, Roger B.
Marks, Kenneth L. Stanwood and Stanley Wang June 2002

Presented by Phuong Nguyen
For 681 Advanced Computer Network Fall 2007
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Topics
Introduction
Physical Layer
MAC Layer (Medium Access Control)
References
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Introduction
Goal: Provide high-speed Internet access to home and business
subscribers, without wires.
Base stations (BS) can handle thousands of subscriber stations (SS)
BS can control all data traffic goes between BS and SS through the
allocation of bandwidth on the radio channel.
802.16 is a Bandwidth on Demand system
Access control prevents collisions.
Supports
Legacy voice systems
Voice over IP
TCP/IP
Applications with different QoS requirements.
Main advantage :
fast deployment, dynamic sharing of radio resources and low cost
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Architecture
Uplink: direction from SS to BS
Downlink: direction from BS to SS
Source: D. Miorandi Create Net
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IEEE 802.16 Extension
802.16 standard was approved in 2001
802.16.1 (10-66 GHz, line-of-sight, up to 134Mbit/s)
802.16.2 (minimizing interference between coexisting WMANs.)
802.16a
Support lower frequency 2 to 11Ghz both licensed and license-exempt
So reach more customers with less expensive
Lower data rates
Support Mesh-Network
802.16b
Increase spectrum to 5 and 6GHz
Provide QoS (for real-time voice and video service)
802.16c
Represents a 10 to 66GHz system profile
802.16d
Improvement and fixes for 802.16a
802.16e
Addresses on Mobile
Enable high-speed signal handoffs necessary for communications with users
moving at vehicular speeds
Focus on 802.16.1
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SAP: Service Access Point
PDU: Protocol Data Unit
Accept, perform classification, process higher
PDUs
Deliver CS PDU to MAC SAP
Receive CS PDUs from the peer entity
System access, bandwidth
allocation
connection establishment,
connection maintenance
Authentication, security
key exchange,
encryption
IEEE Std 802.16 protocol layering, showing SAPs
Multiple specifications
each appropriate to
frequency range (ex:
802.16.1 10-66GHz up to
134Mbit/s) and application
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Physical layer
10-66GHz line of sight propagation. US use 20-25MHz, EU use
28MHz
Point to multipoint BS transmit a TDM (Time Division
Multiplexing) signal with individual SSs allocated time slots
serially
Access the uplink by time division multiple access (TDMA)
Burst single-carrier modulation
Allows use of directional antennas
Allows use of two different duplexing schemes:
Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD)
Time Division Duplexing (TDD)
Support for both full and half duplex stations
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Time Division Duplexing (TDD)
Uplink and downlink share a channel but do not transmit simultaneously
Source: D. Miorandi Create Net
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Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD)
Uplink and downlink operate on separate channels sometime
simultaneously
Support full duplex SSs which can transmit and receive
simultaneously
Half duplex which do not
Adaptive Data Burst Profiles
Transmission parameters (e.g. modulation and FEC
settings) can be modified on a frame-by-frame basis for each
SS.
Profiles are identified by Interval Usage Code (DIUC and
UIUC)
Using both
TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and
TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)
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Media Acces Control (MAC)
Supports many different physical layer specifications, both
licensed and unlicensed.
Connection orienteded
Connection ID (CID)
Channel access:
UL-MAP
Defines uplink channel access
Defines uplink data burst profiles
DL-MAP
Defines downlink data burst profiles
UL-MAP and DL-MAP are both transmitted in the beginning of
each downlink subframe (FDD and TDD).
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FDD Downlink subframe
Source: D. Miorandi Create Net
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Uplink subframe
Source: D. Miorandi Create Net Grant bandwidth to specific SSs
SSs transmit in assigned allocation using burst profiles UIUC in UL-MAP
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MAC sublayers
Service Specific Convergence Sublayer
ATM CS defined for ATM service
Packet CS defined for IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet
Classify service data unit SDUs to proper
MAC connection, preserve or enable QoS and
enable bandwidth allocation
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Common Part Sublayer
Point to multi point
Request bandwidth, associate QoS, transport and routing data
SS has universal 48bit MAC address. BS has 48-bit Base Station ID
(not MAC address)
Connections identified by 16-bit CID.
used to distinguish between multiple uplink channels associated with the same
downlink channel
many higher-layer sessions may share same CID (with same service parameters)
Used in MAC PDU
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Common Part Sublayer
SS enter network is assigned 3 management
connections
Basic connection: transfer short critical MAC messages
Primary connection: transfer longer more delay torelent messages
(authentication, connection setup)
Secondary connection: transfer of standard base management
messages such as DHCP, TFTP, SNMP
In addition, transport connection for contracted services
Other additional connections:
Contention based initial access
Broadcast transmissions for Downlink, polling of SSs if needed
Additional connections for multicast

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MAC PDU format
MAC PDU Formats
-The MAC PDU (protocol data unit) is the data unit exchanged between the
MAC layers of the BS and its SSs.
-Consists of a fixed-length MAC header, a variable-length payload, and an
optional cyclic redundancy check (CRC).
MAC Header Formats
Two MAC header formats: The first is the generic MAC header that begins
each MAC PDU containing either MAC management messages or CS data.
The second is the bandwidth request header used to request additional
bandwidth.


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MAC PDU header
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Transmission of MAC PDUs
Transmission Convergence sublayer is between MAC and PHY
Transformation of variable length MAC PDUs into fixed length FEC block
MAC Message SDU 1 SDU2
PDU1 PDU2 PDU3 PDU4 PDU5 MAC PDUs
P FEC1 FEC2 FEC3 Burst
Preamble
FEC blocks
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MAC Management Messages (rules)
Handle initial ranging, negotiation, SS authentication and registration,
and describing downlink and uplink
link describing:
BS transmits channel uplink and downlink descriptor messages (UCD
and DCD) at periodic intervals
UCD and DCD contain burst profile: info on modulation, error-
correction, preamble length, etc.
uplink and downlink map messages (UL-MAP, DL-MAP) define burst
start times and allocate access to corresponding link channel
ranging: subscriber stations transmit ranging requests at
initialization and then periodically
determines power and burst profile changes (starts with lowest power
level and then moves up)
Create - net
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MAC Management Messages
Uplink schedule service
Unsolicited Grant Service (UGS)
Real-Time Polling Service (rtPS)
Non-Real-Time Polling Service (nrtPS)
Best Effort Service
Bandwidth request and grants
SS authentication and registration
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Bandwidth request and allocation
SSs may request bw in 3 ways:
Use the contention request opportunities interval upon
being polled by the BS (multicast or broadcast poll).
Send a standalone MAC message called BW request in an
allready granted slot.
Piggyback a BW request message on a data packet.
BS grants/allocates bandwidth in one of two modes:
Grant Per Subscriber Station (GPSS)
Grant Per Connection (GPC)
Decision based on requested bw and QoS requirements vs
available resources.
Grants are realized through the UL-MAP.

Source: D. Miorandi Create Net
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Approaches to Bandwidth Grant
Two basic approaches on the way to grant BW
Bandwidth Grant per Subscriber Station (GPSS)
Base station grants bandwidth to the subscriber station
Subscriber station may re-distribute bandwidth among its connections,
maintaining QoS and service-level connections agreements
Suitable for many connections per terminal; off-loading base stations
work
Allows more sophisticated reaction to QoS needs
Low overhead but requires intelligent subscriber station
Bandwidth Grant per Connection (GPC)
Base station grants bandwidth to a connection
Mostly suitable for few users per subscriber station
Higher overhead, but allows simpler subscriber

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Bandwidth allocate by Unicast Polling
1. BS allocates space for the SS in
the uplink subframe.

2. SS uses the allocated space to
send a bw request.

3. BS allocates the requested
space for the SS (if available).

4. SS uses allocated space to send
data.

Poll(UL-MAP)
Request
Alloc(UL-MAP)
Data
BS SS
Source: D. Miorandi Create Net
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Initial Ranging
Upon learning what parameters to use for its Initial ranging, SS
scanning for UL_MAP messages present in every frame
SS will send the burst using minimum power setting and try again if it
does not get response
BS command timing advance and power adjustment to SS based on
SS request. Also provide SS with basic and primary management CIDs
SS receive response:
If the response indicates corrections, the SS makes these corrections
and sends another ranging request.

If the response indicates success, the SS is ready to send data on the
UL.
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Negotiation Capabilities and Authentication

Negotiation Capabilities
After successful completion of initial ranging, the SS sends a
capability request message to the BS describing its capabilities in
terms of the supported modulation levels, coding schemes and rates,
and duplexing methods.
The BS accepts or denies the SS, based on its capabilities.
Authentication
After negotiation, the BS authenticates the SS and provides key
material to enable the ciphering of data.
The SS sends the X.509 digital certificate and certificate of
manufacturer and a description of the supported cryptographic
algorithms to its BS.
The BS validates the identity of the SS, determines the cipher
algorithm and protocol that should be used, and sends an
Authentication Reply contain Authorization Key encrypted with SSs
public key.
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Registration and I P connectivity
Registration
SS will register the network after successful completion of authentication
It sends a registration request message to the BS, and the BS sends a
registration response to the SS.
The registration exchange includes
IP version support
SS managed or non-managed support
ARQ parameters support
Classification option support
CRC support
Flow Control

IP connectivity
After registration SS attains an IP address via DHCP and establishes time of
day via Internet Time Protocol
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References
IEEE Standard 802.16: A technique overview of the
WirelessMAN
TM
Air Interface for Broachband Wireless
Access, Carl Eklund, Roger B. Marks, Kenneth L.
Stanwood and Stanley Wang, June 2002.
IEEE std 802.16 standard 2004 part 16 (895 pages)
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Questions ?