An IEEE 802.16 WiMAX module for the ns-3 simulator

Abstract

Ns-3 is a recently released next generation simulator intended as a replacement of the popular ns-2. It enables a highly rich set of features and is expected to become the first choice of the scientific community soon. ns-3 is in its evolution phase and work at different fronts is still ongoing. With the recent emergence of broadband wireless networks, simulation support for such networks, especially IEEE 802.16 WiMAX, is becoming a necessity. In this paper, we propose and discuss in detail the design and implementation of an IEEE 802.16 WiMAX module for ns-3, with the Pointto-Multipoint (PMP) mode and the WirelessMAN-OFDM PHY layer. Our module implements fundamental functions of the convergence sublayer (CS) and the MAC commonpart sublayer (CPS), including QoS scheduling services, bandwidth request/grant mechanism, and a simple uplink scheduler. The aim is to provide a standard-compliant and welldesigned implementation of the standard.