The White Space Race: How Contested Wireless Spectrum Could Revolutionize Mobile Broadband

Last fall, the FCC gave the green light to a new white space initiative that allows wireless systems to transmit and receive in the unused area between TV stations. And it’s all unlicensed for anyone to use.

Substantial protest came from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), including Dolly Parton, over concern that the new initiative would interfere with TV transmissions and microphones used in public venues like theaters. But the folks at Google and other advocates, including Nomadio, showed the FCC that users of the white space spectrum could avoid any possible interference.

Mark my words, this new initiative is very important in that it will open up a torrent of new wireless networks and services—all open, all unlicensed, and all able to operate over long distances and provide in-building penetration. The white space initiative may usher in an entirely new wireless ecosystem that could—within the next ten to 15 years—be worth billions of dollars. Here’s why.

First, realize there are two classes of wireless spectrum that the FCC allocates: licensed, where you buy the exclusive rights to use a specific spectrum, and unlicensed, where the bands are open to the public for anyone to use, with some restrictions. Licensed allows you to define great quality of service since one organization owns the spectrum. With unlicensed you can get multiple people or organizations trying to use the same frequency.

The wireless cellular operators paid billions of dollars to license spectrum. Thus, they set up tolls in the form of monthly subscription fees to make calls and access data via portable handsets and notebook computers. The new WiMAX networks also work over licensed spectrum.

Unlicensed is best known for the huge success that is Wi-Fi. Cellular covers miles, while Wi-Fi transmissions are generally restricted to only a few hundred feet.

The white space initiative is anticipated to give us the best of both worlds: wireless that is unlicensed (and hence, low cost) but works over longer ranges up to a mile or more and penetrates most buildings. It’s easy to see why folks like Google have been lobbying for approval of the white space initiative: they want wireless to operate in a completely open manner like the wired Internet does today.

Operating within the white space restrictions, however, is difficult to do. You can’t just turn on a radio to transmit at one of the open white spaces between the TV channels, which are all moving to digital transmission. Companies that want to operate within the white space initiative must be able to provide certain criteria: frequency-shifting radio systems (for changing from one white space to another dynamically and in real time), location determination (to avoid conflicts with TV transmissions), extremely sensitive radio filters (to tune out noise that may be interrupting the transmission), and potentially microphones that add beacons to the signal (so devices using white spaces can avoid local systems used in, for example, onstage performances).

Over the next few years, we’re going to see a lot of innovation in and around the white space arena. Some products will add security and provide these benefits to the government sector, while others will offer low-cost, high-speed wireless Internet access to consumers and enterprises. It will be interesting to see if the current wireless operators jump on board and announce services or whether it will be left to innovators such as Clearwire. Other firms that have announced support include Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, and Shared Spectrum.

Thus, it’s not hard to imagine that the new white space initiative is full of green.

J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D., is vice president and chief analyst of mobile and wireless at Frost & Sullivan. Purdy has an affiliation with IDG Ventures.