Standardizing WiMAX Solutions for Coexistence in the 3.65 GHz Band

The FCC (federal communications commission) is in the process of opening the 3.65-3.7 GHz band for lightly licensed operation. Operation within the band is non-exclusively licensed and requires operators to conform to a number of requirements ensuring fair sharing of the band between all users. Efforts are underway within the IEEE802 community to provide solutions for the 50 MHz available in this band. These solutions seek to address regulatory requirements both from a protocol and radio parameter perspective. IEEE P802.11y is an amendment targeting operation in the band for Wi-Fi; while similar work is being pursued in IEEE P802.16h to address the same question for WiMAX. This paper presents an analysis of the regulatory landscape for operation, technical solutions from the 802.16 perspective, and presents simulation results demonstrating coexistence between WiMAX and Wi-Fi. Analysis is introduced in the context of the work that had been undertaken in the IEEE802.19 Coexistence Technical Advisory Group. This group has assisted in the definition of simulation scenarios that can be used for representative coexistence studies.