A consortium of 10 TMT companies have joined forces to trial WiFi capability on white space spectrum in Cambridge, a mid-sized city in the UK.
US technology giant Microsoft, UK incumbent BT, UK state-owned TV company BBC, satellite broadcaster BSkyB,…
A consortium of 10 TMT companies have joined forces to trial WiFi capability on white space spectrum in Cambridge, a mid-sized city in the UK.
US technology giant Microsoft, UK incumbent BT, UK state-owned TV company BBC, satellite broadcaster BSkyB, handset makers Nokia and Samsung, Cambridge Consultants and technology groups Neul, Spectrum Bridge and TTP – together known as the Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium – will test how unused TV spectrum could provide an inexpensive way to plug the spectrum gap in the UK.
The consortium stated: “With the number of connected devices and data applications growing rapidly, and with mobile networks feeling the strain, we must find ways of satisfying the traffic demands of today and tomorrow. This trial will attempt to demonstrate that unused TV spectrum is well-placed to increase the UK’s available mobile bandwidth, which is critical to effectively responding to the exponential growth in data-intensive services, while also enabling future innovation.”
The consortium said it aimed to assess whether the space between terrestrial TV signals could deliver cost-efficient broadband access to rural communities, offload wireless data demand in urban centres and enable innovative business models. If successful, trials would show how mobile devices can tap into unused television channels – TV white spaces – to supplement wireless broadband and cellular networks without impacting traditional broadcast TV.
As proven in the US and some European countries, TV white spaces networks can provide wireless connectivity that is similar to WiFi, but with fewer access points since TV spectrum signals travel farther. It may also be suitable for delivering mobile broadband to rural areas.
