Spectrum Bridge Submits Report from Public Trial

The FCC TV white spaces database public trial period has come to an end. The 45 day trial started on September 19th and was successfully completed on November 2nd. Spectrum Bridge formally filed a Summary Report of the TVWS database trial which can be found here on the FCC’s electronic filing system.

We are now one step closer to the official certification of the world’s first TV white spaces database solution. The FCC and OET have done an outstanding job throughout the process of moving the concept into a real-time working solution. The FCC will now open the floor for the comment period, which allows all interested parties to submit any final comments.

As a result of the completion of the 45 day trial, we have respectfully requested that the FCC certify the database solution. We believe that this technology has the potential to revolutionize the wireless industry as it can be implemented in additional spectrum bands to help alleviate the spectrum scarcity issues currently facing the wireless industry. We look forward to seeing your comments about the trial and implementing a live solution to wireless users in the very near future!

-Andrew Pielack, Communications Coordinator

Spectrum Bridge Updates

When I began working in the wireless industry during the fall of 1989, few could have predicted its unprecedented growth, or how much our daily lives would be transformed by the rise of smartphones, tablets and mobile applications. As a result of innovation, the increasing demand for wireless spectrum will soon exceed availability. Unless significant changes are made to address this, the growth of wireless services could be limited due to a lack of available spectrum (we are experiencing the early effects now, as some carriers have instituted data caps to conserve capacity).

It was this perfect storm that drew me to Spectrum Bridge, a company that’s on the leading edge of developing spectrum optimization technology that will help address this looming crisis and accelerate the innovation of new wireless services. It’s a great honor and opportunity for me to partner with Spectrum Bridge co-founders Richard Licursi and Peter Stanforth, as they share a passion for innovation and have proven track records in building successful companies.

My primary focus as the new CEO of Spectrum Bridge will be to establish the long term vision for the company, transitioning the organization beyond the developmental stage to become a full service provider for connected wireless devices. I will be working closely with Peter to do so, as he continues to successfully drive the company’s technology strategy while managing our core IP portfolio. Richard has elected to move to the position of Executive Board Chairman, where he will continue to leverage his influence with industry leaders and legislators to help the company navigate today’s telecom market and regulatory environment.

The strength of the company’s core IP and the virtualization of our scalable architecture provides us with a unique opportunity to help the industry unlock the full potential of underutilized spectrum. Our objective is to meet these rapidly growing demands for bandwidth, and through the Spectrum Bridge solution, better manage shared spectrum and coexistence of the world’s mobile devices. We remain strongly committed to the following goals: maintaining our leadership position, improving spectrum utilization worldwide, and making unlimited connectivity to tomorrow’s wireless services a reality.

Our first step towards that realization is the development of an unlicensed TV White Spaces solution to enable fixed devices for rural broadband service, smart city and smart utility grid services. Earlier in the year, we were one of ten companies chosen by the FCC to develop and administer such a solution, and are the first to have a system pre-certified and involved in a limited public trial (you can find the public notice here). We have also collected a wealth of data and information from each of the market trials conducted over the past two years, and will incorporate what we’ve learned into our future service platform.

These are exciting times at Spectrum Bridge, and we look forward to updating you as we have new developments to report.

-Rod Dir, President & CEO

Microsoft Joins the TV White Space Race

The Federal Communications Commission has just conditionally designated Microsoft Corporation as a TV bands database administrator. The Order states that “Microsoft is the tenth entity designated to develop a database that will enable the introduction of this new class of unlicensed broadband wireless devices in the TV spectrum.” The announcement comes as a surprise to some industry stakeholders and excitement to others. We at Spectrum Bridge welcome Microsoft to help further solidify the use of unlicensed spectrum to spur new innovation and technologies.

In addition to Microsoft becoming a database administrator, the IEEE, an association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity, has recently completed the 802.22™ standard for wireless regional area networks in TV white spaces. According to the press release, “IEEE 802.22 systems will provide broadband access to wide regional areas around the world and bring reliable and secure high-speed communications to under-served and un-served communities.”

The completion of TV white space standards and the addition of a tenth database administrator strongly indicate that the FCC is fully committed to enhancing the unlicensed wireless industry and ecosystem moving forward. The database administrators are not only tasked with ensuring protection to incumbent users, but spurring innovation where database technology did not previously exist. As referenced in many industry white papers, 90-95 percent of spectrum sites idle at any given time. If this database approach model is adopted in additional frequency bands, it may very well help alleviate some of the current spectrum crisis issues at hand.

All of the database administrators are anxiously awaiting the completion of the certification process and trial period that ensues. Once the certification process is completed, commercial products will then be made available to support many of the unserved and underserved communities in America with rural broadband and other applications. There are endless possibilities beyond the TV white spaces and Spectrum Bridge is very excited for the future of database managed wireless technology. For a preview of future technology to come, see the examples of use cases developed by our Universal Spectrum Access technology model.

- Andrew Pielack, Communications Coordinator

Viable Alternatives to Current Methods by Promoting the Secondary Spectrum Market

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) recently issued a letter strongly opposing aspects of a draft bill entitled “Spectrum Innovation Act of 2011.” The open letter to the government cites that “aspects of the draft would threaten the continued development of affordable fixed broadband services to Americans living in rural, unserved and underserved areas of the country.” The WISPA organization has a point and raises some very significant issues, but we should not ignore the spectrum policy and innovations that the industry has been building upon over the past decade, specifically the secondary spectrum market.

Spectrum Bridge firmly believes that there are viable alternatives to current spectrum allocation methods if industry continues to promote secondary markets. In an earlier blog post, Spectrum Bridge mentioned that the secondary spectrum market was created by the FCC to enable “spectrum to flow more freely among users and uses in response to economic demand.” The demand for spectrum continues to increase on a daily basis, but there are alternatives to utilizing unused bandwidth in the U.S. as opposed to drafting and passing bills dedicated to current Spectrum Auction processes. The auction process is, realistically, only available to a small subset of spectrum users and only executed by the FCC when large swathes of spectrum are available. So in addition to limiting bidders much spectrum sits in inventory in the hope that there will eventually be enough to justify an auction. Secondary markets are the only option for many spectrum users and they can also be an outlet for the FCC to permit use of spectrum sitting idle in inventory.

Thanks to the FCC efforts and continued innovation in technology, industry is now able to stand on its own to help allocate unused frequencies on an as needed basis. Major industry players are beginning to take a larger role in how spectrum is allocated and managed. For example, Qualcomm and Nokia have recently proposed the concept of Authorized Shared Access which allows spectrum sharing via cognitive network technologies which are aimed at benefiting consumers and helping to sustain economic growth.

With the whole notion of viable alternatives to current methods, the government will not necessarily need to be in the involved, industry is more than capable of managing spectrum and allocating it to meet demand. Spectrum management solutions and secondary markets will see an increase in value over time as the ever increasing spectrum scarcity continues to burden policy makers in the near term. The increasing role of industry giants only emphasizes the desire for alternatives to current methods such as shared access and secondary markets.

- Peter Stanforth, CTO

Clearing the Air in TV White Space

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) along with the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) released an order in January of this year to allow nine companies to conditionally serve as the TV Bands Device administrators for the idle TV spectrum known as “TV white spaces.” In doing so, the database administrators and device manufacturers need to collectively work together to certify a solution that should soon be available to consumers by year’s end. There have been numerous trials helping to establish the unlicensed spectrum as a viable means to provide broadband availability and additional applications at a greater capacity throughout the U.S.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has been a major advocate of the unlicensed spectrum bands, even labeling the TV white spaces as “Super Wi-Fi’ due to the superior benefits compared to other unlicensed spectrum such as Wi-Fi. He has stated that this is the largest release of unlicensed spectrum in 25 years and could expand high-speed internet across the country.

Recent speculation hints that Congress would prefer to repurpose spectrum for mobile broadband and the remainder to be auctioned off with the expectations of generating billions of dollars. This would leave little room for wireless technology and innovation to expand throughout the industry.

Mr. Genachowski spoke last week at the TV White Spaces Summit in Washington, D.C. and addressed some of the concerns within the industry by saying, “after incentive auctions and repacking - there is strong bi-partisan support for unlicensed spectrum, 40% of iPhone traffic is Wi-Fi, and 90% of iPad traffic is Wi-Fi. Bandwidth over Wi-Fi will exceed wired in 2015 which justifies the strong support for unlicensed and very confident that it will stay that way.”

Spectrum Bridge strongly believes that the TV white spaces are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to spectrum access and allocation not only on an unlicensed basis, but licensed as well. TV white spaces have been esteemed as one of the FCC’s highest priorities and will continue to revolutionize the wireless industry much in the same way Wi-Fi did 25 years ago. Chairman Genachowski concluded his Q&A by saying, “It is important for the country that this is a success.”

- Chris Duffus, CFO

TV White Spaces Momentum Continues…

Last year at this time, Spectrum Bridge was working diligently with industry stakeholders to help further the development and progress of the TV White Spaces by sponsoring the first ever TV White Spaces Summit hosted by the Wireless Innovation Forum. The event was very successful with the help of a keynote speech by the Honorable Meredith Attwell Baker, Federal Communications Commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission.

The industry has taken significant strides since then with the completion of the rules by the FCC in September 2010 and the announcement of the conditional TV White Spaces Database Administrators. The FCC has been conducting workshops to expedite the process of certifying the databases and radios.

This year, Spectrum Bridge looks to help continue the momentum by sponsoring the White Space Communications Summit: Driving Growth Through White Space Initiatives hosted by the Wireless Innovation Forum on June 7, 2011 in Washington, D.C. This year’s event features introductory remarks by the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski.

The Wireless Innovation Forum intends to build on last year’s event by adding some of the major players in the industry with the likes of the FCC Chairman and representatives from various stakeholders and the nine conditional database administrators. For more information or to register for the Summit, please click here.

- Peter Stanforth, CTO

Spectrum Bridge Selected as TV Bands Device Database Administrator

Yesterday, an order was released by the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) conditionally appointing Spectrum Bridge as a TV White Spaces Database Administrator. This follows the FCC’s unanimous approval of the white spaces rules from September 23rd, allowing for the use of unused TV spectrum by new broadband networks and devices.

We would like to extend our thanks to the FCC and the OET for their decision to appoint Spectrum Bridge as one of the TV White Spaces Database Service Providers. This decision is a critical step in the white spaces proceeding, paving the way for great innovation in technology, and will help to realize the potential of unlicensed spectrum and spectrum databases as solutions for alleviating the spectrum shortage. As Chairman Genachowski said in his speech at the Consumer Electronics show in January, “the future success of this wide-ranging industry and others depends on whether our government acts quickly to unleash more spectrum -- the oxygen that sustains our mobile devices.”

TV White Spaces are positioned to play a major role in the future of wireless technology, and we, along with other major industry players, will continue to develop and demonstrate technological innovations in this space. Our four trial networks, showcasing a multitude of applications, are a testament to our success in TV White Spaces, and we are looking forward to bringing this success to a commercial level.

We have also released an updated version of our TV White spaces search tool, ShowMyWhiteSpace, in accordance with the FCC’s updated white spaces rules. The updated version includes enhancements to the interactive TV White Space Map and channel query interface, accessible via our website. Visit our website to learn more about our database, or partnering with Spectrum Bridge.

- Neeraj Srivastava, VP of Marketing & Business Development

Continuing the Momentum in White Spaces

Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski addressed the country’s looming spectrum challenge, saying, “Though we can’t see it, spectrum is becoming increasingly essential to the daily lives of almost every American. This invisible infrastructure is the backbone of a growing percentage of our economy and our lives….In 2011, a central priority at the FCC is unleashing spectrum to spur innovation, economic growth, and job creation."

In his remarks, he mentioned Spectrum Bridge as an example of a company, “investing in developing technology” and leading “innovation around unlicensed spectrum and Super Wi-Fi…” Spectrum Bridge would like to extend our thanks to the Chairman for this recognition and applaud the FCC’s efforts to improve our nation’s communications infrastructure by expanding access to broadband and wireless services via progressive policies.

Chairman Genachowski also noted, “I hope to see companies large and small bring Super Wi-Fi and other products using this spectrum to next year's CES.” In order to achieve this ambitious goal, it will take more than progressive policies – it will also take decisive action. We ask for the FCC’s help in continuing the momentum, and eagerly await their decision on White Spaces database administrators and certification requirements.

Spectrum Bridge stands ready to move forward aggressively, once the FCC has completed these important actions, to expand the reach and quality of wireless services through innovative spectrum management and sharing technologies to help deliver Chairman Genachowski's vision. To learn more about Spectrum Bridge, and how our database-driven technology is helping to deliver alternative solutions for managing bandwidth, click here.

Neeraj Srivastava, VP of Marketing & Business Development

Spectrum and Wireless Broadband – Where do we go from here?

While many were debating the pros and cons of net neutrality the past few weeks, the FCC subtly released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) “Promoting More Efficient Use of Spectrum Through Dynamic Spectrum Use Technologies”. To summarize, the FCC has asked the telecommunications industry for comments on how we can better utilize “dynamic spectrum access radios and techniques” to support the expanding mobile broadband usage.

As noted in the Ars Technica blog posted last week, some of the FCC proposals under consideration include:

• Extending the current white space device service, which relies on databases telling you what spectrum is available for use at any given moment

• Continue to advance sensing technologies, allowing current license owners a way to lease their unused or underutilized spectrum to other parties

• Developing technologies to group non-contiguous spectrum usage, creating more available bandwidth
  

Spectrum is the backbone of the telecommunications industry, the most critical component of enabling wireless communications. We cannot wait for more spectrum to become available to keep pace with consumer’s bandwidth demands while supporting existing network infrastructures. As with the wireless evolution of the past two decades, there is opportunity today for many new technologies to arise as solutions are proposed and developed for a more efficient spectrum utilization model.

So what can the industry do to improve broadband connections? At Spectrum Bridge, we support the Commission’s ideas, believing equipment flexibility, improved spectrum management and a better understanding of usage can benefit the industry today, without major upheavals or rule changes. Our four White Space trial networks have successfully demonstrated the “database access model” works for managing shared access for unlicensed devices in the TV bands. And SpecEx has always been about creating a marketplace where holders and buyers of spectrum could come together and leverage the secondary spectrum market, enabling spectrum to flow more freely in response to economic demand. Read more about how we are continuing to improve software and services for next generation wireless networking.

And we encourage all to add comments to the FCC Notice of Inquiry, sharing your ideas and recommendations to improve the current processes; responses are due on February 28, 2011 and can be submitted here, proceeding number 10-237.

Peter Stanforth, Chief Technology Officer

Spectrum, Spectrum, Spectrum

Last week, the FCC released a notice of proposed rulemaking to repurpose a portion of the UHF and VHF bands that are currently being used by broadcast services. The long term goal is to make this spectrum available for fixed and mobile wireless communication services, including mobile broadband. The move to repurpose broadcast spectrum through voluntary incentive auctions coincides with the goals set forth in the National Broadband Plan to make more spectrum available for mobile broadband.

CTIA President, Steve Largent reiterated the need for more spectrum in a recent interview, “It really is the lifeblood of the industry…It really is the most critical element to the service that we provide.” Today, the FCC only has 50 MHz of spectrum in the pipeline that can be assigned for broadband use, which is just a fraction of the amount necessary to meet growing demands. However, in recent years, the FCC has recognized the need for a more efficient spectrum allocation model, encouraging secondary markets for spectrum, to allow for dynamic spectrum leasing, as well as releasing final rules to make the unused spectrum in the TV bands available for unlicensed use.

Although the FCC has shown its commitment to finding and freeing up other types of spectrum, Largent made a very good point in that bringing spectrum to market can often be a long and arduous process. “What a lot of people forget about is how long the process takes to get spectrum to the marketplace. The last two spectrum auctions that we had took somewhere between eight and 11 years to come to market. We simply can’t wait that long. The FCC and the president called for 500 MHz in the next 10 years and 300 MHz of that in the next five years. That is a laudable goal. We’re seeing if we can’t even get more spectrum and get it quicker.”

The process for transacting spectrum and bringing it to market can be a very lengthy process; in order to meet the growing demands from mobile users, wireless devices, and wireless access technologies that utilize spectrum, it is critical that the FCC utilizes existing solutions to enable expeditious transactions. One way to realize the FCC’s vision for more efficient and available spectrum is allow companies such as Spectrum Bridge to facilitate commercial contracts for leasing in the secondary market for spectrum. The existing rules in place for secondary markets would help to repurpose spectrum more quickly, while improving the efficiency of this finite resource.

America’s growing demand for mobile access anytime and anywhere make it necessary to find new avenues for bandwidth, in addition to utilizing alternative solutions such as secondary markets to expedite the process of bringing spectrum to market. To learn more about secondary spectrum markets, visit the Useful Links section of our website or contact us.

Joe Hamilla
COO

Spectrum Bridge to host webinar detailing the TV White Space Rules

Spectrum Bridge recently held a webinar providing a general introduction, potential economic impact, and expected timeline of the newly available unlicensed spectrum known as TV White Spaces. To continue with our informational white spaces webinar series, we will be hosting the second webinar, Analyzing the New TV White Space Rules on November 18th, 2010 at 2:00pm ET. The detailed recordings of the first webinar can be found here.

This webinar is co-sponsored by Rini Coran, PC, a law firm specializing in the representation of telecom, media and technology clients before Congress, the FCC and in communications related transactions. From Spectrum Bridge, Peter Stanforth and Neeraj Srivastava will be presenting an overview of the low power device rules and provide insight on the database service providers. Stephen Coran from Rini Coran, PC will be presenting the high power rules and analysis from an attorney’s perspective.

A few topics to be covered during the webinar include:

• What do the high power and low power rules mean?
• What are the different classes of devices?
• What are the height and power limitations?
• What is new regarding the TV White Spaces Database Service Providers?

For additional information, or to register for the event, please click here.

TV White Spaces Webinar Series

The recent FCC decision to allow use of TV White Spaces spectrum on an unlicensed basis has generated wide interest among IT & Telecom companies as well as end users. Spectrum Bridge will be hosting a webinar series discussing TV White Spaces and what it means for the entire wireless industry, from radio manufacturers to the end user. The first webinar in the series is focused on a general overview about TV White Spaces and will discuss a wide array of topics and questions including:

• What are TV White Spaces?
• How does it compare to solutions already available?
• What is the economic value TV White Spaces can provide?
• What is the expected timeline moving forward?

WHO: Hosted by Spectrum Bridge and The Brattle Group

Presenters Include:
Peter Stanforth, CTO, Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
Coleman Bazelon, Principal, The Brattle Group
Neeraj Srivastava, VP of Marketing and Business Development, Spectrum Bridge, Inc.

WHAT: TV White Spaces Webinar series: Introducing TV White Spaces

WHEN: October 28, 2010 at 2:00pm ET

WHERE: Registration and additional information about the presenters can be found by clicking here.

The second webinar in the series will be focused on the technical aspects about the newly available rules and the certification process that follows. More information about the second webinar in the series will be available shortly. To register for the event, Introducing TV White Spaces, please click here.

Unanimous Decision by FCC to use TV White Spaces

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held its open commission meeting in Washington DC, with the decision to authorize the usage of TV White Spaces, at the top of their agenda. After two years of discussions, the FCC unanimously voted to approve the use of this unlicensed spectrum, the unused TV broadcast channels made available by the transition from Analog to Digital TV last year.

Specific items were addressed during this meeting and decisions made included:

• There was no spectrum sensing requirement mandated on the TV White Spaces Devices, though the Commission encouraged use and development of the technology as confirmed by Julius Knapp’s statement, "[This begins a] New Era of Innovation and Investment for Unlicensed Devices".
• In every market,wireless microphones would be reserved as a protected entity. Commissioner Baker supported this decision stating "First rule of dynamic spectrum allocation; do no harm [to incumbent spectrum holders]".
• Large wireless microphone users can register with the Commission for protected entity status in a White Spaces database for a specific time, place and duration as long as channels above 7 are in use.

Spectrum Bridge and our Partner’s accomplishments, regarding our White Spaces trial networks in Claudville, VA, Wilmington, NC, Plumas Sierra, CA and Logan, OH, were noted by the Commissioners as driving this order to this decision point today. It was also stated that the TV White Spaces technology can and will be used in other unlicensed as well as licensed bands and will be a road map for future technology as well as U.S. spectrum allocation policy.

Most noticeably left to the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) for further discussions were the awarding of the TV White Spaces Database Administrators and TV White Spaces usage regarding border restrictions with Canada and Mexico.

Chairman Genachowski summed up the discussions stating “TV White Spaces is about making the US more globally competitive." Spectrum Bridge’s next deployment utilizing its Spectrum Sharing technology will explore the global potential of TV White Spaces spectrum, enabling new technology and providing an alternative solution to meet the increasing worldwide need for broadband spectrum. To learn more about Spectrum Bridge’s past trial networks, or to stay up to date on future deployments, visit http://www.spectrumbridge.com.

Chris Duffus, Vice President of Corporate Development

Can Database-Driven Cognitive Radios Solve the Spectrum Crisis?

There is a perceived spectrum scarcity issue facing the wireless industry today. Most allocated spectrum is entirely spoken for, which reinforces the myth that we are running out of spectrum for wireless communications. A simple spectral analysis of commercial spectrum bands indicates that there is up to 90% of unused spectrum at any given time or place. Craig Mathias, author of the white paper Rethinking Spectrum Scarcity – Database-Driven Cognitive Radio, says that “We actually have access to vast quantities of spectrum in any given geographic location, and, given natural signal strength fading due to the inverse power law, we can further multiply efficiency via the reuse of spectrum over distance.”

One solution that Craig proposes towards solving the spectrum crisis is that of a database-driven cognitive radio approach. Cognitive radios are radios that are, “capable of transmitting and receiving across channels covering a potentially very wide range of frequencies.” By utilizing a database-driven networking approach, these radios will be the first step towards efficiently utilizing the unused or idle spectrum at any given point in time.

One example of an area where database-driven cognitive radios can be effective is in the TV White Spaces spectrum. The FCC is proposing that devices operating in these unlicensed frequencies will need to be certified against a TV White Spaces database to ensure that there are no interference issues. Deploying a database-driven cognitive radio in a band like this, which spans from 54MHz to 698MHz, provides a dynamic network approach to allocating spectrum.

TV White Spaces are a prime example of how cognitive radios can communicate with a database, thus enabling the radio to determine the appropriate frequency to operate on without any human interaction. In the future, we can foresee cognitive radios operating across multiple frequencies in different bands, helping to alleviate the perceived spectrum scarcity. For more information on Database-Driven Cognitive Radios, click here.

- Joe Hamilla

Coming Soon - FCC to Deliver Final Rules for TV White Spaces

TV White Spaces, the unlicensed spectrum between television bands, has been a hot topic since the switch from analog to digital TV back in June 2009. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, author Amy Schatz says “Technology and telecommunications companies could soon get access to unused TV airwaves, allowing them to introduce new wireless gadgets and services, under rules that Federal Communications Commission officials are close to putting into final form.” The FCC is expected to vote on the "TV White Spaces Second Memorandum Opinion and Order" on September 23, 2010.

The announcement is long overdue for industry stakeholders such as broadcasters and wireless providers who have been waiting for the FCC to open up the access to this unlicensed spectrum since 2002. Industry leaders such as Cisco and Motorola will now have the ability to certify devices that can operate in these frequencies, ultimately leading the way for the first commercial launch of the TV White Spaces marketplace.

Allowing the spectrum to be delivered on an unlicensed basis allows companies to further demonstrate alternative solutions to alleviating the “spectrum scarcity” issue facing the wireless industry, while still helping to achieve the goals of the National Broadband Plan. The TV White Spaces frequencies will need to be managed by a database that ensures devices will not interfere among one another. Database driven networks open the door for innovative solutions regarding the acquisition and distribution of spectrum assets. For more information on spectrum sharing through databases, click here.

Spectrum Bridge has already demonstrated three of the nation’s first network trials that are still fully operable on experimental licenses from the FCC. The first network was deployed in Claudvile, Virginia and provided broadband access to residents and businesses in the community. The second deployment in Wilmington, North Carolina, demonstrated that the unlicensed spectrum can be used to further enhance “Smart City” applications such as remote water monitoring, security and Wi-Fi access to the city park, as well as traffic monitoring for public safety. The third trial was launched in Plumas-Sierra County exhibiting the usability of this spectrum for "Smart Grid" applications. To read the success stories highlighting the applications used in each of the three network trials mentioned, click here.

Be sure to check back next week for information on a fourth network launch using the unlicensed TV White Spaces spectrum.

- Andrew Pielack

Spectrum Bridge Database Solution facilitates Spectrum sharing in 5GHz Band

Spectrum Bridge has partnered with the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) creating the UNII Device Interference Advisor (UDIA). The UDIA is a spectrum database solution that provides network operators in the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) frequencies (5.47-5.725 GHz) an easy way to search and find whether their towers potentially interfere with Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) systems.

There are currently 47 TDWR systems located nationwide; operators and installers are being encouraged to voluntarily register and manage their device information in the online database. UDIA was developed to promote cooperation between the federal agencies including the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the wireless industry and to ensure the safe and interference free operation of the FAA’s TDWR network.

Mitigating interference issues between unlicensed wireless devices operating in a frequency band shared with TDWRs makes available approximately 300 MHz of previously unusable spectrum. Efficiently sharing this spectrum not only helps meet the demands outlined in the FCC National Broadband Plan, it also supports Spectrum Bridge’s Universal Spectrum Access vision. Additionally, equipment manufacturers and the wireless industry may also look ahead to the certification of new U-NII equipment. For more information on the release of the database powered by Spectrum Bridge, click here.

- Peter Stanforth, CTO

TV White Spaces Summit - Recap

On June 15th, 2010, the Wireless Innovation Forum hosted a TV White Spaces Summit in Washington DC. Sponsored by Spectrum Bridge, Inc and TV Band Service, the event was well represented by key industry stakeholders. The meeting opened with a keynote by the Honorable Meredith Attwell Baker. Her message was clear stating that, “TV White Spaces could afford even greater promise to open doors to further innovation” and that she hoped, “we will be able to come together on these issues as well – sooner rather than later.”

The informative assembly included topics such as Commercialization Status, Applications Focus, Database Focus, Component Vendors, and proposed Changes to Current TV White Space rules. Some of the issues brought up for discussion included sensing requirements and its effect on the cost of consumer devices, the coexistence of wireless microphones and TV White Spaces, and finally, the timeframe for the FCC’s deliberation of White Space regulations and database management providers. The major concern is that while the market is ready, the FCC’s lengthy deliberation will cost TV White Space innovators their valuable position as leaders in the global marketplace for TV White Spaces. Commissioner Baker mentioned this predicament in her keynote, stating that, “In addition I find it a little ironic, and a little regretful, that other regulators, notably in the EU, as well as in countries like Singapore, are poised to act in an area where we once took the lead but have not been able to act since.”

The sense of urgency for the FCC rules to be finalized regarding TV White Spaces was also highlighted in a letter to the FCC on Monday by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) urging the FCC to “prioritize action on white spaces”. Their letter went on to say, “As you know, spectrum below 1 Gigahertz is both scarce and valuable…Due to the propagation characteristics of the frequencies, unlicensed broadband devices will be able to cover a far wider service area in rural areas than the range in which unlicensed devices operate today thus providing an opportunity to narrow the ‘digital divide’ that unfortunately continues to exist.” At the Summit, WISPA gave a statistic that 50% of their community cannot be serviced today due to geographic limitations such as trees, dense foliage, and mountainous terrains. They also spoke of the new “digital divide” in which urban populations today benefit from having unlimited broadband access for streaming video, social networking, research, education, etc, while rural populations have limited access to broadband and can only do certain things like check email or surf the web. While rural broadband and narrowing the digital divide is just one example of the need for broadband, it has become more clear that TV White Spaces can help fill the gap.

Community leaders from the deployed white spaces network in Wilmington/New Hanover County, NC, Mayor Bill Saffo and Chairman Jason Thompson, were also in attendance to share their insights and experiences. Mayor Saffo of Wilmington stated that the major benefit he sees regarding TV White Spaces availability is in regards to the Public Safety sector. Public safety is the biggest cost to Wilmington at 80% of the general fund budget. However, TV White Spaces have allowed the city to more effectively manage and allocate their resources on a federal, state and local level through the use of streaming live video to help monitor events in the community. Jason Thompson, Chairman of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners reiterated the benefits that TV White Spaces has had on their community, allowing them to safely monitor their parks and significantly reduce energy costs in excess of $800,000 annually.
In addition to various panels throughout the Summit, Julius P. Knapp II, Chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering & Technology, reiterated the Commission’s progress in finalizing the rules and database applicant’s for TV White Spaces. As planned, the FCC will be meeting in the third quarter to discuss concerns brought up over sensing and wireless microphones and to finalize TVWS regulations.

Stay tuned for video clips from the Summit!

- Joe Hamilla, COO

Spectrum Scarcity: Can Technology Bridge the Gap?

The release of the National Broadband Plan last month has sparked many debates, many of which pertain to the need for more spectrum and how the FCC should go about obtaining additional spectrum to keep up with rising demands. One of the ways in which the FCC has proposed to free up bandwidth is through a "Mobile Future Auction". This proposal would reallocate TV broadcast spectrum for mobile broadband use through a voluntary auction by broadcast companies, giving them the opportunity to monetize their excess spectrum capacity. However, this proposal has generated backlash from broadcasters, and in a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention this week, FCC Chairman Genachowski reassured broadcasters and highlighted on the fact that the FCC does not need "all, most, or even very many licensees to participate" in order to meet the demands for more spectrum. However, in an interview last week, Ivan Seidenberg, CEO of Verizon, said that he believes advances in technology will be able to offset a spectrum shortage. The question then is, do we need broadcasters to give up spectrum, or can technology bridge the gap to supply more spectrum?
Today, anywhere between 80 and 90% of spectrum goes underutilized, a surprising number considering the capacity demands of mobile networks. The need for mobile broadband has increased exponentially over the past few years, as mobile internet begins to exceed desktop internet usage. As we've discussed in previous blogs, spectrum is an extremely finite resource, and increasing demands for spectrum through the use of new applications has put many carriers under pressure to quickly build out their networks to keep up with demand. With the huge influx of smartphones to the mobile marketplace, carriers are struggling to keep up with networks that were underbuilt and overutilized from the start.

At Spectrum Bridge, we believe that technology can help alleviate, and even solve the problem of spectrum scarcity without resorting to having to find a lot more spectrum. Although the reallocation of TV wireless spectrum would certainly help to supply additional bandwidth to wireless networks, it is not necessarily the only solution to the spectrum crisis. Through the use of alternative solutions, such as secondary markets to improve existing spectrum efficiency and innovative technology such as TV white spaces, we believe that it is possible to cost-efficiently address the spectrum scarcity issue without affecting current TV broadcast services. Secondary markets and TV white spaces networks can help to ensure that wireless operators can meet the growing demand for wireless broadband services through the utilization of a hybrid solution of both technology and existing spectrum.

- Joe Hamilla, COO

Joe Hamilla discusses TV White Spaces at the 2010 NAB Show

The National Association of Broadcasters is holding their annual NAB Show next week from April 10-15. NAB's events offer broadcasters the opportunity to network with colleagues, explore new technologies, discuss innovative strategies to build stronger businesses and address important issues. The show will consist of several conferences including Broadcast Engineering, Broadcast Management, Broader-casting and the Digital Cinema and Military & Government Summits.

Joe Hamilla, chief operating officer at Spectrum Bridge, will be presenting at NAB Show’s Broadcast Engineering Conference on Wednesday, April 14. The presentation session, “Spectrum Issues for Broadcasters” will be held from 2:00pm – 5:30pm. Joe will be the first speaker of the panel and will jumpstart the discussion with the topic of “Leveraging White Spaces and an Introduction to the New Networks Being Built with Them.”

Some of the topics to be covered in the presentation include:

• FCC process for TV White Spaces spectrum
• Timeline for TV White Space
• Allocation of TV White Spaces via database
• The Availability of TV White Spaces spectrum
• Trial Networks deployed
• The Spectrum Scarcity and Bandwidth Demand Problem
• Opportunities for TV Band license holders

Spectrum Bridge will also be available following the panel for further discussion. To register as an attendee, please visit the NAB Show website.

The Message is Clear - More Spectrum Needed

Last week, Spectrum Bridge attended the CTIA Wireless exhibition in Las Vegas, NV. The prevailing message at CTIA this year was “more spectrum” in coherence with the National Broadband Plan, from femtocells to the allocation of additional spectrum bands by the FCC. The demand for spectrum extends far past the wireless industry – it is evidenced by many of the markets we serve, including: rural, municipalities, utilities, railways, and application developers. As the demand for broadband grows, along with the number of private networks, high bandwidth applications, and next generation devices; the need for maximizing spectrum access, allocation, and availability becomes key. This message is very much in line with our belief at Spectrum Bridge, Inc. (“SBI”) that demand for Broadband access is insatiable and in order to keep up with the ever-increasing demand, we must provide alternative solutions to alleviate spectrum scarcity and increase spectrum efficiency.

Attending the Andrew Seybold Awards dinner honoring the most innovative companies contributing wireless mobility products and concepts, was exciting for us to see how far the wireless industry has come and the limitless possibilities ahead of us. We were excited to receive the award for “Most Innovative Mobile Technology of 2010” for our TV White Spaces Network, as it validates the importance of our work with TV White Spaces to help support the FCC’s goals of providing more Broadband access nationwide. As the FCC noted in the NBP, our trial networks in Claudville, VA and Wilmington/New Hanover County, NC have demonstrated the promise and potential for TV white space spectrum. As we continue to perfect our skills in the TV White Spaces arena and develop new technology and software to help accommodate the growing demand for spectrum, we are excited about the future of this industry and our involvement in it.

Chris Duffus
CFO