What? Ofcom has announced that it will make "white space" available for use by operators of location-aware wireless devices.
So what?
The technology
White spaces (also known as "interleaved spectrum") are the currently unused parts of spectrum within the bands that have been reserved for TV broadcasts. High-power TV broadcasts using the same frequency as other such broadcasts need to leave gaps between each other to avoid interference.
Allowing less powerful devices to use this TV white space spectrum, which includes frequencies between 470 and 790MHz is expected to create an amount of usable spectrum comparable to the amount of spectrum currently available for 3G services.
White space devices will use lower frequencies than the ones currently reserved for TV. As a result, their signal will be able to travel long distances and will also be able to pass easily through walls.
Ofcom expects that these signals will not cause interference for the existing users of the spectrum but acknowledges the need for trials, the first two of which are currently being run in Bute and Cambridge.
White space devices
Three key uses are envisaged for white space devices at the moment. Enhancing Wi-Fi, providing broadband in rural areas and machine-to-machine communications (M2M).
With the TV white space spectrum using much lower frequencies than the 2.4GHz, which most Wi-Fi devices use, it should be possible to cover much greater areas and create Wi-Fi networks that cover entire towns.
White space devices could also be used to link remote houses and villages to nearby towns that already have broadband access.
Finally, the signal's capability to travel through walls will allow machines within buildings to communicate with each other, which could be used to wirelessly measure utility meters in consumers' houses or provide businesses with better real time data for their inventories.
Regulation
White space devices will not require a separate licence, and Ofcom is in the process of drafting a statutory instrument that will exempt such devices from the licensing requirements under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006.
Ofcom is also working with other European regulators to create harmonised standards for white space devices throughout Europe but this project is still at an early stage and could take several years to complete. Once these standards are in place, Ofcom assumes that national regulations will be superseded.
"Master" devices
White space will work similarly to Wi-Fi but the router, or "master" device, will have to communicate with online databases. The master device sends its location to the databases and in return is supplied with real time information on the currently unused segments of the spectrum in this area.
Ofcom has decided against taking a prescriptive approach regarding the databases and will instead encourage third-party providers to develop both closed and open databases, which will compete for users on the open market.
The future
Following a consultation with stakeholders in the technology, Ofcom is not now considering whether prescribing database responses to occur within ten seconds of a request and the requirement for database operators to update their algorithms within one week are too stringent.
The safety of the data held in the databases is seen as another key issue by Ofcom.
Ofcom expects the white space technology to be launched in 2013 and is also looking at making white space available in other bands such as the one for FM radio.
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