Case #3: subscriber management
Wimax technology essentially manages CPE traffic. This is not enough for any operator who strives to be more than a “dumb pipe.” Without clearly understanding traffic patterns and applications (voice, video, HTTP and others,) the provider will face customer dissatisfaction since their application may not receive the proper bandwidth.
With the natural evolution to next-generation networks, Wimax networks, as any other network, require increased intelligence to cope with the challenging demands imposed by advanced services. Let’s imagine a case where a large number of subscribers wish to download high-bandwidth video at the same time. Today’s network will be most certainly bottlenecked and other subscribers will not be able to enjoy even their “fast Internet” services. Eventually, this inability to provide reliable services will lead to higher churn rates, equivalent to the rates noticed in the 90’s when cellular operators struggled with the “handover effects” (subscribers moving from cell to cell) of loaded sites.
IP networks are currently at the learning curve stage of this problem, using a variety of methods such as DPI (deep packet inspection), smarter network nodes and so on, to minimize the adverse effects to the network and to day-to-day services.
Moving to maturity
Wimax networks are now “crossing the chasm” to mass market deployment. To become a massively deployed communications technology, Wimax networks have to undergo the painful stage of network integration.
Most of the challenges associated with mass deployment can be resolved. That will require operators to rely on vendors’ expertise and experience in this field, and to move at their own pace towards migration. Wimax networks are currently on their way to becoming a legitimate wireless broadband solution globally.
Dekel Cohen is Wimax and wireless product manager, and Oren Barkai solutions team leader for integrated solutions line of business, at ECI Telecom