The Federal Communications Commission, as expected, approved a measure that would make “white space” spectrum available for wireless broadband.
White space is industry lingo for the unused airwaves that abut broadcast TV spectrum, providing a buffer zone from stray signals and other inferference. The buffer zone was set up more than 50 years ago when TV was first invented.
The FCC’s white-space plan was initially proposed four years ago. More than 25,000 comments — from supporters as well as critics — were submitted.
Under the FCC’s plan, white space spectrum will be unlicensed and free — like Wi-Fi — to anybody who wants to use it. In some markets, there’s enough white space to fill a half dozen TV channels
Read the full story in USA Today here.
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The Aspen Institute has published a report entitled, ‘m-Powering India: Mobile Communications for Inclusive Growth’ co-authored by Mahesh Uppal and Richard P. Adler, which documents the discussions from the Aspen Institute India/ C & S Joint Roundtable on Communication Policy held in Kovalam, India in February, 2008. LIRNEasia’s Executive Director, Rohan Samarajiva, participated at the event, which brought together senior representatives from the telecommunications industry, government and academia.
The objective of the meeting was to develop policy proposals that would contribute to the development of low-cost and high-quality telecom infrastructure needed to facilitate seamless transactions of mobile commerce.
A summary of the main recommendation (as documented in the report) is given below. An online version of the report is also available HERE.
Key recommendations
Infrastructure
•All carriers should be granted easy access to essential infrastructure at a…
Tags: Aspen Institute, Aspen Institute India, Department of Telecommunications, e-government services, India, Kovalam, Mahesh Uppal, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Richard P. Adler, Rohan Samarajiva, telecom infrastructure, telecommunications industry, wireless broadband.
Indonesia is emerging as a hot broadband market, mainly as a result of the increasing availability of high-speed 3G and HSDPA mobile services. According to Arjun Trivedi, the head of business in Indonesia for Nokia Siemens Networks, high speed mobile services are now the dominant form of broadband access in the country. He says, “In Indonesia today, there are slightly more than a million broadband users. Quite a substantial number of these – we estimate some 60 per cent – are wireless broadband users, principally using HSDPA. We also estimate that there are about 400,000 fixed broadband users and a little over 600,000 mobile broadband users.” TelecomTV writes more.
One of the most significant auctions of frequency spectrum in the world is about the start in the US. The process of moving spectrum-hogging broadcasters out of these valuable bands (a process known as spectrum refarming) began in the 1990s. How many Asia-Pacific spectrum managers have even got started on the job? How long will it be before the people of the region see the benefits of deploying 700 MHz spectrum for wireless broadband?
Airwaves, Web Power at Auction - New York Times
The radio spectrum licenses, which are to be returned from television broadcasters as they complete their conversion from analog to digital signals in February 2009, are as coveted as oil reserves are to energy companies. They will provide the winners with access to some…
Despite protests from broadcasters, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) next week will begin testing devices that will allow Internet service providers to utilize unused spectrum for wireless broadband service.
The commission on January 24 will kick off a four-to-six week lab test of equipment that will allow ISPs to access this spectrum, known as “white spaces.” That will be followed by an additional six-week field test period, the FCC said.
At issue is the transition from analog to digital TV signals. In an effort to free up spectrum for public safety use, Congress has ordered TV broadcasters to shift their signals from analog to digital by February 2009. When this happens, there will be open, unregulated spectrum between the digital channels, or white spaces, that companies…
Tags: analog, Broadband, Congress, Digital TV, Google, Internet, Internet Service Providers, Microsoft, United States, US Federal Communications Commission, wireless broadband, wireless broadband service.
Perhaps this might make those who continuously complain about the broadband quality in South Asia happy. Sometimes things are not too different in relatively more advanced places. When tested, at 1200 midnight the wireless broadband connection provided by a star class hotel in KL recorded a download speed of 54.5 kbps and an upload speed of 144 kbps. These speeds are far below than what some of the South Asian operators offer.
Commercial WiFi hotspots face a dim future in South Africa - at least among corporate workers on the move, a new research study by World Wide Worx reveals. The report shows that the corporate use of WiFi - small networks that allow wireless access to the Internet - has fallen back after a steady rise in the previous three years. By contrast, the use of 3G - wireless broadband provided by the mobile networks - has rocketed.
“We have been warning for several years that commercial WiFi hotspots, especially in hotels and conference centres, are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market,” says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, who led the research. “And, now that a monthly subscription to a basic 3G service…
With global agreement reached on clearing the 700 MHz band of analog broadcasting so it can be used for wireless broadband, the equipment will start coming to market soon. Unless the regional spectrum regulators clear the band in time, it will not be possible to reap the benefits.
After Global Agreement, Companies May Bid Higher at Wireless Auction in U.S. - New York Times
Because the conference elicited a global consensus, that confidence should extend worldwide. The conference said that countries could use the 700-megahertz slice for wireless broadband services like cellphones, mobile TV and WiMax, although at each country’s time of choosing.
The conclusions of the conference, which operates under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency, carry the weight of an international…
In yet another blow to the existing GSM operators, the Communication Ministry has decided to auction spectrum for third generation (3G) mobile services and wireless broadband services through technologies such as Wi-Max.
The auction will be open to new companies wanting to foray into the telecom sector as well as established foreign telecom players. The existing operators had wanted the auction for 3G services to be limited to the licence holders.
The Ministry’s decision to open up the bidding to all players is also a move away from the telecom regulator’s recommendations that it be restricted to existing operators. The move gives a chance to the likes of Deutsche Telecom, AT&T and new Indian players such as Unitech and Hindujas, which may not get spectrum in the…
Tags: 2G services, 3G, 3G services, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Communication Ministry, Deutsche Telecom, GSM, Vodafone Essar, wireless broadband, wireless broadband services.
Chennai, Nov 6. Perhaps not surprisingly, the messages from most of the speakers are the same at the Wireless World Research Forum, currently held here. Asian telecom markets are booming; (Where else you see one country adding 7 million new mobile customers per month?) this is the right time to take ICTs to rural and less privileges sections of the society; affordability too, not just technology is a key issue, and wireless, not wired is perhaps the sure solution that can make the transformation. More or less, that is the bottom-line emerging.
Midas Communication Technologies CTO Rene Abraham’s presentation “Wireless DSL for Rural India – Challenges and Requirements” today highlighted some of these issues. The photo shows one of the solutions developed by Midas to open broadband…
It is high time that Asian spectrum managers started thinking about more efficient use this valuable resource.
In Search of Wireless Wiggle Room - New York Times
Having missed the opportunity to include these provisions in the coming auction, the F.C.C. will have another chance this year to create cheaper wireless broadband services. Google and other technology companies, including Dell, Philips and Microsoft, are part of a group called the White Space Coalition that is asking the F.C.C. to open up the empty space between assigned TV channels to unlicensed users and devices.
The idea would work like this: In many areas, not all broadcast channels are in use. The unused channels are “white spaces” of high-quality spectrum that could be made available to local Internet service providers.…
Tags: cheaper wireless broadband services, Dell, F.C.C., generic devices, Google, Internet service, local Internet service providers, Microsoft, Philips, technology*, White Space Coalition, wireless broadband, Wireless Wiggle Room - New York Times.
Anjana SAMARASINGHE
The Daily News, 3 September 2007 | See Print version
Sri Lanka needs to focus special attention on broadband connectivity as it is becoming more important for the development of businesses in the country.
Tags: ADSL, Broadband, broadband infrastructure, broadband services, broadband technology, Colombo, copper based technology, Daily News, Rohan Samarajiva, Service Level Agreement, Sri Lanka, telecommunications watchdog, wireless alternative, wireless broadband.
A partial victory for those making the case for open wireless networks (Carterfone 2).
F.C.C. Hands Google a Partial Victory - New York Times
The Federal Communications Commission moved cautiously Tuesday toward creating a more open national wireless broadband network, handing a partial victory to Google, which was pushing for more competition in cellphone services.The agency approved rules for an auction of broadcast spectrum that its chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said would promote new consumer services. The rules will let customers use any phone and software they want on networks using about one-third of the spectrum to be auctioned.
The F.C.C. did not approve a provision that would have required the winner of the auction to sell access to its network on a wholesale basis to other companies.…
Tags: access to its network, broadband network, consumer services, F.C.C., Federal Communications Commission, Google, Kevin J. Martin, open national wireless broadband network, open wireless networks, Victory - New York Times, wireless broadband.
Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) has opened consultations on a proposed interconnect and numbering regime for voice services provided over the city-state’s wireless broadband networks.
Three operators—Singtel, iCell and Qalanet—offer wireless services in the 2.5GHz band as part of Singapore’s Wireless@SG initiative and the IDA says it is now time to formalise an industry regime to support voice services carried over those networks.
The IDA adds that the move is needed as part of the global shift from discrete PSTN and wireless networks to a converged next generation network. However, the Agency stops short of harmonising the standard numbering range with IP addresses. Read more.
Tags: converged next generation network, InfoComm Development Authority, PSTN, Singapore, Singapore\'s Infocomm Development Authority, voice services, wireless broadband, wireless broadband networks, wireless broadband voice, wireless networks, WIRELESS SERVICES.
Sri Lanka’s Dialog Telekom has signed an investment agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BoI) to invest a further US$300 million in the country’s Telecoms and Media sectors within the next 2 years.
A substantial portion of the total investment will be in fixed line Telephony and Broadband services via Dialog Broadband Networks (DBN), and Digital Television Broadcast services via Asset Media, respectively.
The investments in DBN will be directed towards the growth of CDMA-based Rural Fixed Telecommunications Infrastructure, WiMax based wireless broadband infrastructure and for the deployment of a National Fibre Optic backbone. Read more.
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