Editing WiMAX (section)

=== Middle-mile backhaul to fiber networks ===
Mobile WiMAX was a replacement candidate for [[cellular phone]] technologies such as [[GSM]] and [[code-division multiple access|CDMA]], or can be used as an overlay to increase capacity. Fixed WiMAX is also considered as a wireless [[Backhaul (telecommunications)|backhaul]] technology for [[2G]], [[3G]], and [[4G]] networks in both developed and developing nations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sprint Eyes WiMax Backhaul|url=http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=104349|website=Lightreading.com|access-date=2008-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312140258/http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=104349|archive-date=2008-03-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WiMax signals get stronger in India|url=http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206901605|website=Eetimes.com|access-date=2008-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713001728/http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206901605|archive-date=2012-07-13|url-status=live}}</ref>

In North America, backhaul for urban operations is typically provided via one or more [[Electrical wiring|copper wire]] line connections, whereas remote cellular operations are sometimes backhauled via satellite. In other regions, urban and rural backhaul is usually provided by [[microwave link]]s. (The exception to this is where the network is operated by an incumbent with ready access to the copper network.) WiMAX has more substantial backhaul bandwidth requirements than legacy cellular applications. Consequently, the use of wireless microwave backhaul is on the rise in North America and existing microwave backhaul links in all regions are being upgraded.<ref>{{cite web|title=Overcoming the wire-line bottleneck for 3G wireless services|url=http://supercommnews.com/wireless/features/wireline_wireless_networks_060305/|website=Supercommnews.com|access-date=2009-01-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202142859/http://supercommnews.com/wireless/features/wireline_wireless_networks_060305/|archive-date=2008-12-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> Capacities of between 34&nbsp;Mbit/s and 1&nbsp;Gbit/s<ref>{{cite web|title=High-speed Microwave|url=http://www.wimaxforum.org/technology/faq|website=Wimaxforum.org|access-date=2008-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306033728/http://www.wimaxforum.org/technology/faq/|archive-date=2008-03-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> are routinely being deployed with latencies in the order of 1&nbsp;ms.

In many cases, operators are aggregating sites using wireless technology and then presenting traffic on to fiber networks where convenient. WiMAX in this application competes with [[microwave radio]], [[Ethernet Virtual Private Line|E-line]] and simple extension of the fiber network itself.