Beamforming Boosts the Range and Capacity of WiMAX Networks

Having gained tremendous momentum over a number of years, WiMAX is now widely viewed as a leading candidate for Fourth-Generation (4G) wireless data communication. Because WiMAX is based on Internet Protocol (IP), the technology builds on principles that have proven versatile and cost-effective in the Internet. Compared to traditional 3G cellular networks, WiMAX offers a more affordable technology for transferring large amounts of data with high throughput. A technology known as adaptive beamforming can magnify this WiMAX advantage considerably. At a relatively low implementation cost, beamforming improves both the range and capacity of a WiMAX network.