New Applications for TV White Spaces in the Latest Deployment

Spectrum Bridge has announced its fourth major TV White Spaces network trial utilizing the vacant spectrum between existing TV channels known as TV White Spaces. This particular deployment, done in conjunction with Google and the Hocking Valley Community Hospital, is important for not only Spectrum Bridge, but the entire wireless industry as it demonstrates how TV White Spaces can provide cost effective broadband access for healthcare applications.

The trial network at the Hocking Valley Community Hospital showcases that there are alternative ways of enhancing health care provider’s connectivity for critical wireless data transfers. To improve broadband connectivity throughout the Logan, Ohio community, a wireless data link was established on a local ISP tower approximately two miles away from the Logan-Hocking County Health Department, providing non-line-of-sight broadband coverage to the health department and other public areas.

There is now Wi-Fi throughout the Hocking Valley Community Hospital as well as outdoor video surveillance providing additional security for hospital operations. A portable TV White Spaces network was also deployed for the Hocking County Emergency Medical Services that allows first responder’s to wirelessly transfer data directly from their emergency vehicles to EMS data systems inside.

The first three trial networks by Spectrum Bridge and our partners demonstrated that the unlicensed spectrum can go further and penetrate walls better than that of some licensed spectrum. The networks have also demonstrated long range broadband using middle and last mile connectivity to residents of the communities. They have also shown that Smart City’s and Smart Grid’s can be implemented using unlicensed frequencies as a cost-effective solution to rural cooperatives and wireless internet service providers. For more information on Spectrum Bridge’s deployments, click here.

- Neeraj Srivastava, VP of Marketing and Business Development

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

Mickey DeChellis discusses White Spaces and Smart Grid Apps - UTC Telecom 2010

The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) is holding their annual event “UTC Telecom 2010” next week on May 24-26, 2010. This event provides the attendees the opportunity to hear from industry experts on a wide variety of issues that impact their business, including the legal and regulatory aspects, in order to best prepare for the future. Attendees also have the opportunity to meet vendors in their industry, view on-site demonstrations of new products and services, and generate and maintain business and partner relationships. As an active member of the UTC, for the second year in a row, Spectrum Bridge will have a presence at the UTC Telecom being held in Indianapolis, IN.
Mickey DeChellis, Director of Sales & Business Development, will be on the panel discussion entitled: “White Spaces Networks Solution for Reliable Smart Grid Apps? – What’s working now” along with representatives from Motorola and the UTC. The panel will be held at the Smart Grid & Wireless Symposium at 4:30pm in room 106 on Tuesday May 25, 2010. The presentation will be focused on the unlicensed TV spectrum known as “white spaces” which offer potentially hundreds of Megahertz at frequencies with excellent propagation characteristics benefiting Utilities and Telco’s.
An additional benefit of attending the session will include real world examples currently being used with the unlicensed spectrum for Smart Grid and Smart City applications. Mickey DeChellis will be available for further discussion before and after the panel session to answer any questions. To view the UTC Telecom 2010 schedule at a glance, please click here.

Spectrum Bridge’s White Spaces Database is Helping Make North Carolina Safer, Greener

Spectrum Bridge and the City of Wilmington, North Carolina just added another technology “first” to their lists.

Today, we joined together in a public-private partnership with the County of New Hanover and TV Band Service to announce the launch of the nation’s first “Smart City” services powered by TV white spaces. Spectrum Bridge’s white spaces database and software are at the heart of this network, controlling and managing the frequencies accessed by the various applications.

You may recall that Wilmington was the test bed for the national digital TV transition, which freed up white spaces for use, and Spectrum Bridge deployed the white spaces database-driven network employing those frequencies for the first time last October.

Spectrum Bridge’s database and software are now helping white spaces power traffic monitoring on one of Wilmington's busiest thoroughfares, Martin Luther King Parkway. Traffic cameras are currently providing much needed safety for many cities throughout the US. In Wilmington, white spaces are delivering wireless traffic safety for daily commuters (and in the event of a hurricane evacuation) in a very green way: Laying fiber in this environmentally protected area would have been cost-prohibitive.

Meanwhile, across town, this white spaces test network is providing environmental monitoring, with real time wireless reporting and measurements of water levels. Previously this was a manual process, where employees had to drive to the locations and wade into the water to access level readings. Costs to perform this task made this a monthly effort. The white spaces test network will save the local government (and taxpayers) money in data collection, and provide for faster identification and mitigation of problems.

In addition, visitors of the County’s Hugh MacRae Park are now enjoying WiFi access -- and the peace of mind that comes with security monitoring of playgrounds and ball fields – all thanks to white spaces. You can read more about this success story here.

On hand to celebrate the event today were North Carolina’s Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, New Hanover County Chairman Jason Thompson, and Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo – as well as a large group of Mayors from all over the state of North Carolina.

Rick Rotondo, Spectrum Bridge co-founder and CMO extended our thanks to the many forward-thinking partners who brought this test network to fruition at today's event. “We are proud to have provided the technology and know-how for these visionary public and private business leaders to turn their ideas into tangible benefits,” he told the crowd of 130 gathered at Screen Gems Studios. “They know the white spaces opportunity is unique in that it lets them be cost-effective and environmentally conscious while delivering new services to the community.”

Additional services for this test network already in the planning process include the remote monitoring of at risk patients at home (which will result in speedier delivery of care and fewer emergency room visits) and for utilities equipment monitoring to provide energy reduction and cost savings.

I was privileged to be on site for Spectrum Bridge's white spaces trial network launches in Claudville and Wilmington, and have seen the impact they are already having on these communities first hand.

Wilmington is far more urban than Claudville, but the benefits of white spaces for both communities (while different) cannot be overstated. And the appreciation and sense of partnership in both communities has been inspiring.

For us at Spectrum Bridge, white spaces represent more than just being “first”, or a great vehicle for demonstrating our database driven spectrum allocation technology.

White spaces have enabled us to deploy test networks that are already helping to bridge the digital divide and bring much needed services to some terrific people in two beautiful communities.

And that feels pretty good.

- Beverly Lambright