US frees unused airwaves for 'super wi-fi' technology

bealtine

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11402284

The US broadcasting regulator has announced it will make unused television airwaves available for new "super wi-fi" technology.

In a statement, the Federal Communications Commission described the spectrum between television channels as "prime real estate" for mobile devices.

It hopes the move will turn swathes of the country into giant wi-fi hot spots.

Officials also said it would encourage innovation and job growth and make the US more competitive globally.


"It will enhance our economy and strengthen our global competitiveness, lead to billions of dollars in private investment and to valuable new products and services - some we can imagine, and many we can't," Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement after the commission's unanimous vote.
'Smart city' applications

The FCC said the move marked the first time in more than two decades a large band of spectrum had been opened. The airwaves became vacant last year when the US moved to an all-digital television broadcast system.

Technology firms are eager to begin using the airwaves, in part because signals in that spectrum can travel several miles, penetrate walls and allow large transfers of data.

The move came after several successful pilot programmes across the US, Mr Genachowski said.

Wilmington, in the state of North Carolina, for example, has experimented with "smart city" applications to manage traffic and water quality.

Some broadcasters fear the move will interfere with their operations, including wireless microphones used to report news.

watty

This is truly stupid.

Originally the Money Folk tried to promote "real" Whitespace / Cognitive Radio. Communications engineers explained why they had known for maybe 50 years that such a scheme can never work.

The FCC are not idiots, so the Self Detecting (scanning for existing transmissions to avoid) scheme was dropped. It can never work.

So plan #2 is GPS in every unit and it has to query the Database (maintained by who? How are distance limits decided?) to see what channel if any can be used. But how does it connect to database? Two types of unit then. Ones that talk direct to Internet and ones that ask other units...

There are so many holes in this rush to sell gadgets...
People will have "mods" to disable the GPS.
People will import these to Europe, Australia, etc.

How do you put this Genie back in bottle when it does block TV reception of people in Fringe areas? Or interfere with Licensed Radio Mics at major Public Performances?

Who will be allowed to update database, correct it and decide on the rules of coverage (hopefully based on Terrain, height, aerial types, power etc..)

The exact Height, type of aerial and building location rather than rather vaguer GPS locations has a huge Impact on Interference. Read More

Sam Russell

dot com anyone?

watty

Digital Dividend and White Space wobbles
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/26/ofcom_digital_review/