Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) systems use new network architectures to deliver broadband services in a fixed point-to-point or pointto-multipoint configuration to residential and business customers. These systems support voice, data, video distribution services and emerging interactive multimedia communications. This paper presents a performance evaluation of BWA networks as well as a detailed model, which captures all relevant aspects of such networks in a concise way. This model is evaluated by simulation and compared with the results obtained from measurements on the real system. Simulation results show that this model can be used in an accurate way to characterize base station configuration when it is subjected to heavy data and voice loads. q 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.