The objective of this industry-driven multi-disciplinary research project is to develop novel and highly innovative technical solutions for WiMAX2, which is the next generation of mobile WiMAX complying with IMT Advanced requirements. WiMAX2 aims at transmitting a data rate of 100 Mbit/s over a 20 MHz channel, working at high vehicular mobility (at least 120 km/h), and offering higher performance compared to the current WiMAX systems based on the IEEE 802.16e standard, while ensuring backward compatibility with them. To develop technical specifications for WiMAX2 systems, the IEEE has recently set up the IEEE 802.16m working group, which will develop an air interface complying with the requirements listed above.
The main goal of WiMAGIC is to make contributions to the IEEE 802.16m group, influence the future standard, and provide a foundation for market leadership for European industry. Among the main topics to be addressed by the project are new multiple antenna (MIMO) schemes offering increased diversity and multiplexing gains as well as interference cancellation capabilities, advanced synchronization and channel estimation techniques that are compatible with the high mobility requirement, advanced radio resource management schemes involving cross-layer optimization, as well as cooperation between users and base stations. The concepts and algorithms developed within the framework of WiMAGIC will be simulated, prototyped, and then integrated into chips to be developed by SEQUANS Communications and tested by other industrial partners of the consortium. This chain of activities, from system specification to system design to technology development to system validation, constitutes the subject of the WiMAGIC project.