PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ADAPTIVE ARRAY SYSTEM AND SPACE-TIME BLOCK CODING IN MOBILE WIMAX (802.16e) SYSTEMS

We live in an information hungry age, we generate and process information at a rate never before recorded in the history of mankind. Today’s computing platforms are run on Gigahertz multi-core processors churning out Gigabits streams of data that need to be transmitted as quickly as possible. Often times the source and the destination are mobile which means wired connections are not a choice. This has led to an ever increasing need to develop wireless access technologies that support high throughput regardless of the transmission environment. Till date, many proprietary solutions exist that seek to bridge this gap with little or no support for interoperability. For the sheer scale of development that is required, a standard based solution is the key. The IEEE 802.1x committee oversees the development of standards for wireless systems, it formed the 802.16 working group to develop a standards-based Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) solution. One of the fruits of this effort is the 802.16e standard fondly referred to as mobile WiMAX and it is the subject of study in this thesis. This thesis seeks to analyze the transmission characteristics of two of the antenna systems defined in the standard i.e. Adaptive Beamforming Systems and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Systems. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO): utilizes multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver to provide diversity gain, multiplexing gain or both. Adaptive Antenna Systems (AAS): Adaptive array system uses an antenna array to generate in real-time radiation patterns with the main lobes and/or nulls dynamically tuned to specific directions in order to increase or suppress signal power in that direction.Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is the acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 set of standards governing Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems. In the history of wireless systems, WiMAX is revolutionary technology as affords its users the Wi-Fi grade throughput and cellular system level of mobility. With WiMAX, broadband technology (traditionally ADSL and Fiber) goes wireless and WiMAX users can basically enjoy triple-play application, and split-second download and upload rates. WIMAX also offers full mobility much as traditional cellular systems do with features like seamless hand-over and roaming at vehicular speed; this is made possible because the system design covers the access network to core network. For the operator, WiMAX is a welcome development because it merges traditional cellular networks with broadband technology thus opening them to more business offerings and a larger client base and all this at a reduced cost of deployment. Base stations are comparatively cheaper and do not require extensive planning typical of other cellular systems thus WiMAX is aptly suited for emerging markets where infrastructure cost is a major issue; little wonder a lot of 3rd world countries have signified interest in the technology