Are WiMAX standards finalized?
Likely, WiMAX standards will never be completely finalized. Other
standards such as the cable DOCSIS (now in Version 3.0) have continued to
evolve, even once a very mature level of performance was realized.
However, it has evolved more slowly. WiMAX moved swiftly through several
updates even before testing standards were defined and products began to be
widely available. The technology has evolved from the base 802.16 standard
through several updates during the last few years including:
802.16a
802.16c
And finally 802.16d or 802.16-2004
All of which are primarily Fixed WiMAX standards.
802.16e or Mobile WiMAX was finalized late in 2005. This version is not
backwards compatible with the 802.16-2004 fixed standard.
A newer iteration of WiMAX called 802.16m that more specifically addresses
numerous mobile capabilities and should considerably improve bandwidth
throughput is in the works. There is some consideration that this standard
could incorporate the emerging LTE standard as well, however wireless industry
politics may preclude this.
