An Evaluation of the Effects of Propagation Channels on the Performance of WiMAX (IEEE 802.16-2004)

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of fixed-WiMAX (IEEE 802.16-2004) operating in seven propagation channel models, by implementing a WirelessMAN-OFDM physical layer simulator. Through comparative analysis of BER and throughput, the performance of the specified modulation and coding schemes and adaptive control actions were evaluated. Furthermore, the behavior of fixed-WiMAX subjected to a multipath propagation environment and utilization conditions characterized by both stationary and partially mobile applications was also exploited. Thus, this article provides a complementary vision of the standard, which has enabled the determination of customized values for the SNR levels employed for adaptive control, as well as the determination of the capacity obtainable under conditions of partial mobility.