From the start, people have said that WiMAX, a technology considered to be a favorite among wireless broadband technologies, is very compatible with IPv6. So, it has been decided that the respective international organizations for these technologies, the WiMAX Forum and IPv6 Forum, will work together to resolve issues.
The following is an article by Mr. Kosuke Ito, IRI Ubiteq, who is a member of the IPv6 Promotion Council/IPv6 Forum and is a liaison with the WiMAX Forum, on a new relationship between WiMAX and IPv6 as well as its future. (IPv6Style)
Kosuke Ito
Senior Consultant, Ubiquitous Division, IRI Ubiteq, Inc.
WiMAX, a favorite technology for wireless broadband
With the easing of restrictions on radio signals by the Japanese government, the 2.5GHz band will be opened for use in mobile communications. Due to this, WiMAX, a method of wireless broadband communication based on IEEE 802.16, is getting increased attention. Compared to communication technologies for cell phones in the past, WiMAX has a remarkably faster data communication speed; moreover, unlike Wi-Fi, it supports mobile communications as well. Hence, WiMAX is a technology that people have high expectations for as a foundation of the wireless broadband network needed to realize ubiquitous society.
IEEE 802.16, the basis for WiMAX, is somewhere between a WAN, which is for wireless communication over large areas (such as cell phone and IEEE 802.20 networks), and IEEE 802.11, which is a wireless LAN technology included in Wi-Fi; IEEE 802.16 is a standard that targets medium-distance networks called MAN (Metropolitan Area Network). However, 802.16 and 802.11 have a lot in common technology-wise; compared to 3G/4G, it is expected that using 802.11 technology, which is already widespread, will make it possible to reduce the development costs for supporting 802.16.
Furthermore, 802.16 has additional features that 802.11 does not have in order to realize wide-area data communications. First, it has a PHS (Payload Header Suppression) feature in order to optimize data transmission. It also has an FEC (Forward Error Correction) feature to support area expansion. Moreover, it implements QoS to ensure communication quality, as well as support for mobility through hand-over and Mobile IP. Also, another characteristic of WiMAX is that it has many options. When building a system, it is possible to choose different options for different purposes, e.g. developing a large-scale network for a carrier to use for backhauling, developing energy-efficient devices for ubiquitous terminals, etc.
Why does WiMAX get a lot of attention?
Generally speaking, people say that the advantage of WiMAX is that it is the "broadband communication band that did not previously exist for cell phone communications". This is probably true. However, from my experience working for the first company in Japan to begin working on building the foundations for the wireless Internet using IEEE 802.16, I see the most important aspect of WIMAX as follows:
First, as stated above, since it has the same technical composition, there is a potential that infrastructure can be built at a low cost by using it. Second, with the integrated management protocol, it is possible to manage communications for each device from the BS (base station). Integrated management of communications means that the infrastructure can be an orderly communication network, which can be profitable for business. Third, it is very compatible with IPv6.
WiMAX is very compatible with IPv6
When IPv6 was designed, not only the mobile support features for the next-generation Internet needs were put in, but the support features for orderly networks, e.g. security and global identification, were also put in. This course of action was completely the same as that of WiMAX's. From the point of view of someone who has been promoting IPv6 for the past 5 years, I feel that IPv6 and WiMAX technologies are very compatible with one another. I feel that my understanding is the same as that of the WiMAX Forum, an organization that promotes global propagation of WiMAX, South Korea, who started the first IEEE 802.16 service, called WiBro, and the IETF, an organization that standardizes network technologies.
With these situations in mind, people have begun working on solutions for issues that can arise when building a system by focusing on linking IPv6, a layer 3 technology, and IEEE 802.16, a layer 2 technology.
IETF will discuss WiMAX and IPv6 together at the new WG
Putting things in chronological order, first, in September 2005, a BoF called "IPv6 over IEEE 802.16(e) Networks" was started at the IETF on the suggestion of Samsung, who actively promotes WiBro and IPv6. The main goals of this BoF are to maintain IP connectivity over Mobile WiMAX networks, to solve the issues with running Fast Handover Mobile IPv6 (RFC 4068) and such, and to make technical proposals, such as recommendations to the WiMAX Forum and any necessary protocol revisions.
After repeated tests at the BoF, it was promoted to a working group (WG) at the IETF Montreal Meeting in July 2006. It now looks at not only IPv6, but also IPv4, and their focus has expanded from Mobile WiMAX to all of IEEE 802.16, starting a discussion, "IP over IEEE 802.16 Networks (16ng)." According to Mr. Soohong Park from Samsung, who is the chair of the WG, at the first meeting, overall issues were shared and also presentations were given on IP network deployment scenarios using Mobile (802.16e) and nomadic (802.16d).
WiMAX Forum focuses on IPv6 mobility
While those activities were happening at the IETF, at the WiMAX Forum, their Network WG was discussing IPv6 connectivity over WiMAX. An IPv6 sub-team was founded within the Network WG; they are currently examining mobile support such as CMIPv6 (Cellular Mobile IPv6) and, at the same time, an examination of address assignment size is also in their agenda.
Each WG at the WiMAX Forum has been having off-line meetings separately; the Network WG is planning to have a meeting in Tokyo this August with Fujitsu being the host. At this point, it seems that there is no Japanese person participating in the IPv6 sub-team; I hope that we Japanese can contribute further as a leader in IPv6.
IPv6 Forum hopes that WiMAX creates new markets
The IPv6 Forum also supports WiMAX as one of the technologies that can be linked to IPv6, and as a technology that can create new markets in the ubiquitous era, and they announced their collaboration with the WiMAX Forum. First, at the IPv6 Forum World Congress held in February 2006, a liaison with the WiMAX Forum was established and I, one of the core members of the IPv6 Promotion Council, was selected for it.
In addition, in March, board members from the IPv6 Forum and WiMAX Forum had a TV conference and they confirmed that they would proceed further with basic collaborations. Since then, the collaboration has gradually been getting deeper, e.g. the IPv6 Forum's paper "Vision 2010", which was put together at the above-mentioned World Congress, was published on the WiMAX Forum website as well.
WiMAX and IPv6 begin moving forward by collaborating with each other
In July, the same month that the IETF Montreal was held, I was invited, as an official liaison for the IPv6 Forum, to a meeting by chairs of the WiMAX Forum WGs at the WiMAX Forum Member Conference held in San Diego. There, I gave a presentation introducing the IPv6 Forum as well as a presentation on large-scale IPv6 projects that involve WiMAX and markets with future potential. I also confirmed that our two organizations would continue to collaborate in the future.
In addition, at this meeting, KDDI was approved to be a board member. In the presentation by KDDI, they announced a scenario in which they will implement a seamless handover between CDMA and WiMAX networks by making them complementary, and integrate them with IPv6 networks. It seems that the idea that IPv6 is an effective core for building a scalable service network is widespread among WiMAX Forum members as well.
As for the WiMAX Forum Member Conference held in San Diego, it was a weeklong event that started July 10th and had a total of about 600 participants. Similar to the IETF, each WG separately carried out sessions simultaneously. In addition to the Network WG, there were many other WGs, including the Technical WG, Application WG, Marketing WG, Service Provider WG, Certification WG, Regulatory WG, etc.
WiMAX arrives in Japan on a full scale with the opening of the 2.5GHz band
Currently in Japan, services using 4.9GHz (non-licensed), which our company also supported at first, have started in urban areas. As for the 2.5GHz band, which is one of the bands targeted by the WiMAX Forum, it is likely that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will decide on directions related to it around November. In order to obtain business licenses, there has been a speed up in testing activities by not only cell phone carriers but also wired network operators.
We still don't know how the 2.5GHz band will be assigned and what kind of wireless infrastructure technology will become mainstream; however, in South Korea, our neighbor country, services have already started using WiBro, WiMAX's sister technology standard, and I think WiMAX is close to being ready for practical use technology-wise as well as market-wise. We consider that combining IPv6 and WiMAX is a very effective path towards the establishment of the infrastructure for the ubiquitous society; we plan to actively promote it.
WiMAX Forum
http://www.wimaxforum.org/
IPv6 Forum
http://www.ipv6forum.com/
