Friday, February 27, 2009

NEBSA Attendees Convene on Substantial Service Deadlines and Creative Distance Learning Applications

Spectrum Bridge exhibited at the 2009 Annual National Educational Broadband Services convention in Boca Raton, Florida February 23rd through the 25th. Panel speaker Bob Rini of Rini-Coran addressed legal concerns for EBS holders who must meet the May 2011 substantial service requirements, and provided tips on finding innovative ways to monetize their excess capacity EBS spectrum. Among other highly attended sessions included one on the $7 billion Broadband Stimulus Package and several outstanding sessions on mobile learning technologies and other creative distance learning techniques. Some of the exciting curricula presented included case studies of elementary and secondary science and biology programs involving transmission of real time data captured directly from tropical rain forests by and to students in classrooms here in the U.S.

“This is a great group whose members are committed to applying cutting edge wireless technology for anytime, anywhere learning for students,” said Walt Bolil, EBS Advisor and Business Development Manager at Spectrum Bridge. “We were delighted to talk to so many members who are also looking for creative solutions to monetize their excess EBS capacity for funding these valuable programs, and look forward to helping them.”
EBS holders may contact Walt directly for a complimentary consultation on their excess spectrum assets at (407) 792-1570 x531

Thursday, February 26, 2009

What Channels Within White Space are Actually Available?

Spectrum Bridge has launched a Web site called ShowMyWhiteSpace.com that offers an easy online tool to find open TV channels available at any location in the U.S. Now there is a place to figure out what parts of "white space" are really accessible in a given location.

“We have seen tremendous excitement about the opportunity that this vast swath of free, unlicensed spectrum opened up for new and innovative services.” said Peter Stanforth CTO and cofounder of Spectrum Bridge. “We want to make it as straightforward as possible for people to ‘show my white space’, while also helping them understand how they could benefit from white space-based solutions.”

It was a common misconception that all channels left open by the TV Stations from their transistion to digital could actually be used be future white space devices -this is not the case. Because the number of broadcast TV stations varies throughout the country, the amount and frequencies of available white space channels can differ significantly at any given location.

When Spectrum Bridge put some of our spectrum mapping technology to work along with the new white space rules set forth by the FCC, we found some areas (especially metro) where even after the digital switch is complete in June there will not be any whitespace available. If white space IS available, the FCC rules are basically saying it is up to the communications industry to figure out how not to interfere with each other. When deciphered, the few rules the FCC suggested are illustrated in the pictured graphic.

The site allows wireless microphone users to pre-register their information with Spectrum Bridge, who will ensure its secure delivery to a white space database manager, once these entities have been designated by the FCC.

Since ShowMyWhiteSpace.com is actually the first site where someone can look up a specific address and find out if white space devices are an option, as well as pre-registering devices such as microphones, the response so far has been tremendous.

Monday, February 16, 2009

GLMSS Annual Event Review


Spectrum Bridge exhibited at the 2009 GLMSS “Great Lakes Motorola Service Station” annual show, held at the plush Don CeSar Beach Resort in St Pete Beach, FL. There were approximately 80 attendees and 20 exhibitors. Rick Frizalone, Director of Sales and John Dynes, Sr. Account Manager of Channel Sales attended on behalf of Spectrum Bridge.

The show attendees were upbeat and most had a positive outlook on future and said their current business was minimally affected despite the current economic environment. At the event, the reaction to the Spectrum Bridge offering was well received and most attendees indicated that frequency licensing is an ongoing issue for many of their customers, especially with the current financial challenges the public sector is facing.

The general theme seemed to be that most customers did not want to face the expense of a new network if they could find ways to enhance or expand the one they were using. Spectrum Bridge is uniquely positioned to help many of these clients with support to find the spectrum needed to expand their capacity or footprint.

It was also apparent that many of the attendees were license holders that could see the opportunity of listing their underutilized spectrum with other holders creating larger blocks of spectrum. These larger blocks command a better overall price and have many more applications for potential lease or purchase options.

All in all, we enjoyed being part of the GLMSS show, and look forward to continuing to offer our solutions to this great group of people.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

South Carolina EBS RFP Deadline Extension

South Carolina’s Educational Broadband Services (EBS) Commission request for proposals (RFP) has been extended to Friday, February 27, 2009. The RFP, which is seeking bids for more than 67 of South Carolina’s statewide EBS spectrum licenses, is currently being promoted on Spectrum Bridge’s SpecEx™ online marketplace. This statewide 2.5 GHz spectrum offering, which covers about 5.6 million people, can support a wide range of broadband communications.

More information, a link to the official RFP, interactive map and other resources can be found on the
spectrumbridge.com homepage.

Friday, February 6, 2009

DistribuTECH Show - Short Review

In a time of economic downturn, how many companies are willing to participate in trade shows? Apparently plenty; this year’s DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition drew a record crowd, impressive since the event is in its 19th year.

The 2009 DistribuTECH ran from February 3-5 and contained over 325 booths, covering approximately 89,000 square feet in the San Diego Convention Center. Spectrum Bridge exhibited and sent three staff members to the show: Walt Bolil, Business Development Manager; Lou Eisenberg, Senior Account Manager; and Michael DeBoer, Marketing Manager.

“Smart utilities are looking for a more stable way to ensure their new devices stay connected rather than relying on unlicensed frequencies or carrier networks" said DeBoer. "When they invest tens of millions of dollars into upgrading to smart grid equipment, the wireless infrastructure it is all based on should be solid; which is where dedicated licensed frequencies can be to their obvious advantage.”

One of the high points of the show was when a Saturn Sky roadster was given away. Attendees had to visit a select number of booths to get a card stamped for entry into the drawing. Once all the stamps were collected, the card was turned in at the PennWell booth (the show organizers). On the last day of DistribuTECH, a large crowd gathered at the PennWell site to see who would win. Three names were drawn and one winner picked. The winner was shaking at the knees when he was chosen; a great moment.

Congratulations to PennWell and all who made the 2009 DistribuTECH show such a success.