Radio spectrum, the lifeblood of any wireless or cellular service is a scarce resource, the pressures on which continue to grow in line with our hunger for mobile data. It is therefore not surprising that carriers and regulators are seeking ways to squeeze out better usage out of the available airwaves. The most recent step forward is the UK communications regulator Ofcom to allow wireless communications in so-called White Space spectrum. This is “prime-site” spectrum in the 470-790MHz range which has excellent propagation and penetration characteristics, making it particularly well-suited for indoor use. These bands are used predominantly by digital television and special broadcast events (e.g. wireless mics, TV links etc). Essentially Ofcom has put together a framework whereby wireless operators can check against a database whether a given channel is in use at a given time and place, and if not, can go ahead and make use of the spectrum for applications ranging from wireless broadband to sensor monitoring.
