'White space' trials bring new broadband hope to isolated areas
'White space' trials bring new broadband hope to isolated areas
Isolated areas which are struggling to get decent broadband services could be connected using the ‘white space’ between TV signals.
A trial has been conducted at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight by Microsoft to find out if the unused parts of the TV spectrum can be used both by lifeboats to transmit their messages unhindered and to stream broadband services.
The TV signal spectrum has a number of gaps, initially left to provide barriers between different broadcasters and now additional space has opened up since the digital TV switch over.
The possibilities of using white space are being investigated by Prof Robert Stewart, of the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for White Space Wireless Communications. He told the BBC that using the white space is a cheaper option to provide broadband services to remote communities than using miles of cabling.
The effectiveness of the approach has already been demonstrated in parts of the US and Singapore which have used the spectrum to carry broadband signals. In the UK, the centre has worked with a number of partners to pilot a similar scheme for people living on the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde.
Technical advances, especially in GPS, have opened up the possibilities of the spectrum because devices using the white space to communicate need to be able to pinpoint their positions. Devices are linked up to a database showing which parts of the spectrum are free for use at any given moment.
Industry regulator Ofcom has given the go-ahead to broadband trials using the white space and it is expected that the space will be opened up legally for further development from next year.
hSo provides managed networks designed for business. To get an instant cost for a leased line at your location, visit our online leased line price checker.
