FCC unanimously approves use of 'white spaces' spectrum

[greggh]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfg ... y_id=32304

The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to release unused broadcast TV spectrum for unlicensed use, giving technology leaders Google, Microsoft and others a victory in their bid to create a next-generation version of Wi-Fi.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/f ... dist=msr_1

Google co-founder Larry Page wrote in an online posting that the FCC's approval of white spaces use is "a clear victory for Internet users and anyone who wants good wireless communications."

"Google has worked hard on this matter with other tech companies and public-interest groups because we think that this spectrum will help put better and faster Internet connections in the hands of the public," he said.

Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, added that the unanimous FCC vote "ushers in a new era of wireless broadband innovation."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i71T ... AD948D7Q00

The vote is a big victory for public interest groups and technology companies such as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. that say white spaces could be used to bring broadband to rural America and other underserved parts of the country.

"White spaces are the blank pages on which we will write our broadband future," said Jonathan Adelstein, one of two Democrats on the five-member commission. Adelstein added that white spaces could represent a "third channel" to reach consumers beyond the telephone and cable networks that represent the primary competition in today's broadband market.

Supporters say the vacant spaces between TV channels — which would be available for free, unlicensed use, as Wi-Fi is — are particularly well-suited to providing broadband since they can penetrate walls, carry a great deal of data and reach a wide geographic area. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, one of three Republicans on the commission, called white spaces "a very valuable national asset."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2333897,00.asp

White spaces will "make a huge difference to everybody," Google co-founder Larry Page said in May. "Especially in rural areas, you can really get a lot more range with the 700-MHz kind of bands we're talking about for TV white spaces."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10082505-94.html

Page, who has been a strong advocate for opening white spaces, applauded the FCC 's move and said it would spur massive technological innovation.

"We will soon have 'Wi-Fi on steroids' since these spectrum signals have much longer range than today's Wi-Fi technology and broadband access can be spread using fewer base stations resulting in better coverage at lower cost," he said. "And it is wonderful that the FCC has adopted the same successful unlicensed model used for Wi-Fi, which has resulted in a projected 1 billion Wi-Fi chips being produced this year. Now that the FCC has set the rules, I'm sure that we'll see similar growth in products to take advantage of this spectrum."

I'm very optimistic about what white spaces will allow.

[eddie]

Maybe the underground guerrilla net will become a reality.

[Gomer_X]

I heard an explanation on how this will actually work on Buzz Out Loud today. Apparently devices will be designed to poll the "white space" spectrum and look for frequencies already in use. They won't necessarily be using space between channels, but instead any spectrum not in use. If some other device is using that frequency, it will try another one.

So if a wireless mic or TV station is using a frequency, the device will shift untill it finds an open frequency. If you start using a wireless mic (which is probably set to use a fixed frequency) you may get interference until the wireless router polls again and sees the channel in use and switches.

So the more devices in a given area, the more likely there will be interference, and the more channel hopping will have to happen. Seems like cordless phones used to work this way.

[greggh]

They won't necessarily be using space between channels, but instead any spectrum not in use. If some other device is using that frequency, it will try another one.

Actually it's not just any spectrum that it will use. It's specifically the white spaces chunks contained within the 512MHz to 698MHz range.

[MattKingUSA]

So, where can I get one of these radio modems?

[greggh]

So, where can I get one of these radio modems?

You got to give it some time. It might be a year or two.

[greggh]

http://www.reuters.com/article/technolo ... H120081107

They said the first developments will show up in less than two years, and reach the public later.

"I think the thing that people don't realize is that radios are on a similar trajectory to computers", undergoing tremendous technological development, Page told the Wireless Communications Association.

He said new radio technology will have more reach than current WiFi, which cannot go through more than two walls.

He said some prototypes of radio microchips for the new forms of radio may be available in as little as 18 months.

"I'm not saying you will be able to buy one by then," he said. He said such chipsets may eventually sell for only $5, pegging that to the cost of mass-produced WiFi chipsets now installed in laptops, telephones and other devices.