Why 4G’s OFDM radio waves have a speed limit скачать в хорошем качестве

Why 4G’s OFDM radio waves have a speed limit

Before 5G and Starlink, there was WiMAX: the wireless broadband technology once hailed as the future of mobile internet. Backed by major players like Intel, Sprint, and Clearwire, WiMAX aimed to deliver fast, reliable internet on the go. But despite its early promise, WiMAX quickly fell behind and was ultimately crushed by 4G LTE. Why? In this video, we cover the technical and strategic reasons why WiMAX failed: WiMAX used orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), just like LTE. But its subcarrier spacing was narrower, making it far more sensitive to Doppler shift. That meant WiMAX signals degraded rapidly in motion, especially over 75 mph - making it a poor choice for cars, trains, and high-speed mobility. LTE, by contrast, was engineered with wider subcarrier spacing, allowing it to function at speeds over 200 mph, with better signal integrity and handoff performance. WiMAX couldn’t penetrate buildings effectively. Using higher-frequency spectrum and lacking advanced MIMO or beamforming, WiMAX struggled with indoor coverage. LTE’s broader support for lower frequencies (like 700 MHz) gave it an edge for urban, rural, and indoor use cases. Global carrier support and ecosystem scale. While Sprint gambled on WiMAX, Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom chose LTE. The massive scale of LTE adoption meant faster hardware evolution, better interoperability, and rapid global standardization. Sprint’s bet on WiMAX backfired, contributing to billions in debt and leading to its eventual merger with T-Mobile. Subscribe for more wireless tech explainers, network deep dives, and future connectivity content. #wirelesstechnology #technology #5g #techhistory #networkengineer #tech