Exploiting the flexibility of MAC layer in WiMAX networks for improved data and VoIP traffic

Multi media stream service provided by broadband wireless networks has emerged as a important technology and has attracted much attention today. Due to its large coverage area, low cost of deployment and high speed data rates, WiMAX is a promising technology for providing wireless last-mile connectivity. Physical and MAC layer of this technology refer to the IEEE 802.16e standard, which defines 5 different data delivery service classes that can be used in order to satisfy Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of different applications, such as VoIP, videoconference, FTP, Web, etc. In this paper we examine a case of QoS deployment over a cellular WiMAX network and in particular the performance obtained using two different QoS configurations namely ertPS and UGS has been compared. Results indicate that for delay-sensitive traffic ertPS has an edge over UGS and rtPS.