Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Refers to the 802.16 standard being developed by the IEEE to provide a wireless coverage of up to 31 miles. It operates in the 2 to 11 GHz bands and enables connectivity without a direct line-of-sight to a base station although line-of-site is probably required to achieve connectivity at the distance of 31 miles.. It provides shared data rates up to 70 Mbps, which, according to WiMAX proponents, is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support more than 60 businesses and hundreds of homes.