White space spectrum plans outlined by Ofcom

The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has released details of its plans to use white space spectrum to make improvements to broadband access in rural areas.

Plans have been outlined by the UK communications regulator Ofcom with regards to its plans to use white space technology to make improvements to broadband access and wireless connectivity in rural parts of the country. The white space describes the unused radio frequencies that are found between television channels.

Ofcom has said that making effective use of this white space spectrum could really boost the availability and performance of wireless broadband access in rural areas. For some years there have been concerns over how businesses and residents in rural areas may be missing out on a variety of resources and benefits due to lack of broadband access, and Ofcom hopes that this move could help to make improvements in this area.

Ofcom has now outlined plans with regards to effective use of the white space spectrum, and consultation papers have also been released with regards to successfully launching the technology. The regulator is also looking at releasing a final set of regulatory and technical guidelines relating to the effective use of the technology in the UK.

William Webb, director of technology resources at Ofcom, stated: “The airwaves that wireless devices depend on are becoming increasingly congested. We need to think about more efficient ways of using this limited resource. Using the white spaces between TV channels is a good example of how we can both use spectrum more efficiently and provide opportunities for innovative new applications and services.”

Source – IT Pro Portal