A long-awaited broadband communications alternative will finally become reality today when the City of Wilmington, N.C. officially turns up the nation’s first white spaces network in a ceremony scheduled for 2:00 p.m. eastern. This particular network was deployed in a point-to-point configuration to extend Wi-Fi connectivity and video surveillance to city parks, but Spectrum Bridge President and CEO Rod Dir told Telecompetitor yesterday that he expects to see point-to-multipoint white spaces network deployments by wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) soon.
Spectrum Bridge has spent the last several years pioneering the use of a dynamic database to enable television broadcast spectrum to be used for broadband in areas where broadcasters are not using the spectrum. The company provided its database technology to KTS Wireless, the manufacturer whose transmitters and receivers underlie the Wilmington network. In addition, Spectrum Bridge installed the network, which has been running on a trial basis for 12 months.
“We sold the network to New Hanover County and built the network on their behalf,” explained Dir. “They’re managing it going forward.”
New Hanover County viewed the white spaces option as a more economical alternative to running fiber. Using a hub-and-spoke design, the KTS equipment is supporting speeds between 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps over distances as great as one to two miles, Dir said.
“In the public community, you will be able to get the 10 to 20 percent of the market that you couldn’t address with typical WiFi applications,” noted Dir, who expects the technology to be popular with other municipalities.
Supporting the network is a fiber Ethernet connection between the wireless network hub and an Internet point of presence. In this installation Spectrum Bridge was able to use an existing connection. But Dir said, “it wouldn’t be unrealistic to bring Ethernet and power to a site” if needed.
Several other equipment manufacturers are readying products supporting a Spectrum Bridge white spaces database—including Carlson Wireless, which is building a point-to-multipoint offering targeting WISPs, Dir noted.
In addition he said Spectrum Bridge has other deployments in the works, adding that eventually the company would like to hand off the job of installing white spaces networks to value added resellers.
Late last year Spectrum Bridge became the first company approved as a database administrator for white spaces spectrum. Other companies also are seeking approval, and Spectrum Bridge likely will have competition before the end of the year.
New Hanover County and The City of Wilmington do not plan to charge people to use the WiFi capability made possible by the new network. As long as the service is free neither they nor other municipalities deploying the technology are likely to run afoul of anti-municipal network legislation that has been adopted in some areas.
FCC officials will be on hand for today’s ceremony, which can be viewed online at the New Hanover County website beginning at 2:00 p.m. eastern time.
Read More About: Broadband, Broadband Wireless, Spectrum Bridge, TV White Spaces, White Space
13 comments
Bob says:
Jan 26, 2012
So is this a broadband access technology? Or just expanding the range of hotspots?
Muni Wireless Gets a White Spaces Boost - Zatz Not Funny! says:
Jan 26, 2012
[...] Thought municipal wireless was dead? Yeah, me too. But apparently that’s not the case. The city of Wilmington North Carolina is launching the world’s first white spaces wireless network today built on spectrum available between broadcast TV frequencies already in use. The technology enables Wi-Fi connectivity in public spots around Wilmington, and, after today’s launch, that Wi-Fi access will be available for free to local users. Don’t get too jealous, though. Speeds are set to max out between one and two megabits per second. [...]
Joan Engebretson says:
Jan 27, 2012
BOB
The multipoint configuration referenced in the story seems to be a broadband access technology. Sounds like we'll hear about some multipoint white spaces deployments soon.
Not So Fast Super Wi-Fi | Telecompetitor says:
Jan 30, 2012
[...] Not So Fast Super Wi-Fi 1/30/12 at 9:55 AM by Bernie Arnason var addthis_product = 'wpp-262'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true,"data_track_addressbar":false};if (typeof(addthis_share) == "undefined"){ addthis_share = [];}White spaces broadband uses the wireless airwaves ‘between’ television channels that are now available for other uses, thanks to the transition to digital TV. The first deployment of broadband technology using TV white spaces occurred just last week in Wilmington…. [...]
Jim says:
Jan 30, 2012
1 to 2 Mbps up to 2 miles? This service is easily deployed using proven HDSL technology that has been around for over 15 years.
Bob says:
Jan 31, 2012
@Jim – but that assumes you have the facilities everywhere to do HDSL. Wireless gives you so many more options and flexibility.
TV Whitespace for Broadband Access Networks | The Business of Broadband says:
Jan 31, 2012
[...] Spectrum Bridge being the first approved provider to manage the spectrum there. That network is scheduled to launch today in a a ceremony scheduled for 2:00 [...]
Spectrum Bridge CTO: Spectrum Legislation Won’t Hamper White Spaces Initiatives Telecompetitor says:
Mar 1, 2012
[...] Spectrum Bridge and potential competitors to deploy this technology just over a year ago and the first real-world deployment occurred in [...]
IEEE Starts Work on Next Version of White Spaces Wireless Technology Telecompetitor says:
Mar 26, 2012
[...] unlicensed users through dynamic database technology in an order issued in September 2010, and the first deployment of white spaces technology occurred at the end of 2011 in Wilmington, N.C. That deployment was a point-to-point configuration [...]
U.K. White Spaces Trial Offers Disappointing Speeds—But It’s not True WRAN Telecompetitor says:
Mar 30, 2012
[...] U.S. pioneered the concept of using a dynamic database to keep track of where TV broadcast spectrum is not being used, thereby freeing up the spectrum for unlicensed use. But interest in the concept is growing in [...]
FCC Order Should Improve White Spaces Business Model for Rural ISPs Telecompetitor says:
Apr 6, 2012
[...] white spaces opportunity The first unlicensed user of TV white spaces spectrum was turned up in December, just over a year after the FCC made vacant TV white spaces spectrum available for unlicensed use [...]
Despite Uncertainty, Wireless ISPs Plan to Use TV White Spaces Telecompetitor says:
May 21, 2012
[...] the spectrum for unlicensed use when managed by the database technology almost two years ago, and at least one point-to-point implementation already has occurred. But point-to-multipoint TV white spaces solutions expected on the market soon have the greatest [...]
TV Whitespace for Broadband Access Networks - ZCorum says:
Mar 26, 2013
[...] Spectrum Bridge being the first approved provider to manage the spectrum there. That network is scheduled to launch today in a a ceremony scheduled for 2:00 [...]