WiMAX: The Optimal Internet Service

Executive Summary

Without a doubt Internet has become an important service that individuals throughout the world use in order to accomplish their diverse daily tasks. It has enabled the global availability of information and its impact in the business sector is undeniable. In recent years a new wireless digital communication system was developed in order to expand the coverage that Wi-Fi offers. This new technology called Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is intended to delivery wireless service to metropolitan areas and with time expand to rural areas were wired connection is not available. WiMAX has the capacity to support voice, video and data through microwave radio frequency to both stationary and moving users. This service has a long range of approximately 30 miles with up to 70 Mbits/s broadband speed without the need for cables. For this reason, any business would be benefited by the usage of this new technology and Virtual Retail will not be an exception. This company that manufactures and sales cloth could be directly benefited by the high bandwidth, portability and long range, and ability to be quickly deployed to distant areas that WiMAX possesses. As a result, the organization will become more efficient while improving its communication and reducing its costs.

WiMAX

Within the last decade communication has become even more advanced due to various new technologies that have been developed and introduced into the market. These technologies involve and are the future of receiving information and communicating in both business and personal environments. One of the more recent advancements is called WiMAX and by exploring its potential we stand poised to expand and facilitate wireless Internet access to an unprecedented scale. WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access and is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes from Point-to-Point links to portable and fully mobile Internet access. The technology provides up to 70 Mbits/s broadband speed without the need for cables. The name WiMAX was formed in June 2001 as a standards based technology enabling the delivery of last mile or in the case of WiMAX approximately 30 miles of wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL.

To put things into perspective, the smallest-scale network is a personal area network (PAN). A PAN allows devices to communicate with each other over short distances of approximately 30 feet and Bluetooth is the best example. The next step up is the local area network (LAN). A LAN allows devices to share information, but is limited to fairly small central area of approximately 150 feet indoors and approximately 300 feet outdoors. A local area network is ideal for environments such as corporate headquarters, a coffee shop or your house. Many LANs use Wi-Fi to connect to the network. WiMAX is the wireless solution for the next step up in scale, the metropolitan area network. A MAN allows areas the size of cities or vast rural locations to be connected.

What makes WiMAX so interesting is that it has the ability to provide Internet connectivity over a range of approximately 30 miles depending upon line of sight conditions. WiMAX is not intended to replace Wi-Fi but WiMAX is an ideal last mile solution for providing wireless broadband connectivity to areas that otherwise would still depend upon dial up access. Additionally, WiMAX doesn’t need as many devises to cover a large area. One antenna could serve as many users as 200-300 Wi-Fi routers. However, companies aren’t going to go around setting up WiMAX base stations out of sheer kindness. After all, who is going to pay for the required infrastructure? With this said, there are two ways in which WiMAX can be implemented. 1) As zone for wireless connections that single users go to when they want to connect to the Internet on a laptop. Or 2) as a line of sight hub used to connect hundreds of customers to a steady, always on, high speed wireless Internet connection.

By the end of this year, Intel will begin making their Centrino laptop processors WiMAX enabled. This will go a long way toward making WiMAX a success. If everyone’s laptop already has WiMAX capability, it will be much less risky for companies to invest in and set up WiMAX base stations. Intel has also announced that it would be patterning with a company called Clearwire to push WiMAX even further ahead.

Impact of WiMAX

Without a doubt WiMAX can bring great benefits to businesses because Internet plays a key role on the effectiveness of the organizations’ procedures. Virtual Retail, a company that designs, elaborates and sales cloth, is not an exception to the abovementioned statement. Since it highly depends on the usage of Internet, having a better service will certainly have a positive impact in three important aspects of the operations of Virtual Retail (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1

In first place, the high bandwidth that WiMAX possesses will allow this company to become more efficient. By having the ability to access data more quickly, Virtual Retail will be able to perform its operational activities in a faster way. Employees at all levels of the organization would rapidly obtain the information they need to properly execute their job and avoid the loss of valuable time. The more time they have available for active participation the greater the probability of producing a high-quality garment. In addition, customer service will be also benefited by the outstanding speed of WiMAX. The needs of the customers will be satisfy at a faster rate because all workers could easily locate the records of the clients and use them to solve any existing problems or offer assistance based on recorded preferences. Even though it may seems that a few seconds do not make a great difference, in a world where time is money having the capability to speed the working routines becomes an undeniable advantage.

In second place, the portability and long range of WiMAX will enhance the communication capabilities of Virtual Retail. Individuals that work in this company will be able to experience what is called “office on the go.” No matter where the employees are they can remain in contact with the office and will be able to perform their job from distance. Also, since Virtual Retail’s factory is located outside they city where no wired connection is available, WiMAX will bring Internet to this region. By doing so the company will greatly improve the communication relationship of the store and factory leading to a more efficient production process and service. Having access to Internet in both the rural and metropolitan areas will further allow mobile connection. This mobility will give the organization the possibility of controlling the transportation of goods between the factory and the store assuring a timely delivery and a secure operation. Communication is one of the key elements of success; therefore, having better communication at all levels will improve the performance of Virtual Retail.

In third place, since WiMAX can be quickly deployed to distant areas, Virtual Retail can undergo a reduction of costs by using this type of Internet. This service is relatively cheap which will enable the company to experience a DSL level of connection in both the store and the factory without having the extra costs. As WiMAX will be highly accessible for all the employees regardless of their location, the company will reduce the monetary lost incurred when decisions are not made at the right time. Here is where the high bandwidth and portability of the service interact to reduce costs. In addition, Virtual Retail will no longer need to spend money transporting employees form the factory to the headquarter for important meetings. Now the factory workers could attend and participate in meetings through video-chat conferences. Certainly in such a competitive world having the ability to reduce cost can place Virtual Retail as one of the leading companies.

Conclusion

Without a doubt WiMAX can bring great advancements, especially in an era where Internet has become an entitlement. Individuals highly depend on Internet even to the extent where most of their activities are carried out with the help of this service. Simple thing such as grocery shopping or making an appointment as well as more complex ones as executing your job can be done through this medium. Therefore, having the ability to enhance the capabilities of Internet would help individuals complete their tasks more efficiently and achieve their goals. The high bandwidth, the portability and long range, and the capacity to be quickly deployed to distant areas transform WiMAX into the optimal Internet service. For this matter, by implementing WiMAX Virtual Retail will increase the efficiency of its production process and customer service, improve its communication systems and reduce its operational costs.

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