The government is planning to use ?white spaces? ? unused frequencies assigned between radio or TV bands to avoid interference ? as an opportunity for increasing spectrum availability.
Switching from analog to digital TV in India has freed up large tranches of white spaces which can be used to facilitate ?affordable broadband access in rural areas?.
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According to an internal department of telecom note, ?TV white spaces offer an opportunity for increasing spectrum availability.? The note added that white space technology may potentially be the next generation technology that will impact spectrum management and utilisation.
While primary users of any spectrum band are the licensed users, they often do not use the allocated frequencies to the maximum. ?White Space? devices could help find the spectrum?s under-utilised aspects and make secondary users utilise them without causing any interference to primary users. Simply, the technology works by sensing the spectrum that remains unused and uses it to transmit wireless products.
White-spaces devices are designed to detect the presence of existing but unused areas of airwaves, such as those reserved for analog television, and utilise these unused airwaves to transmit signals for internet connectivity. Such technology is predicted to improve the availability of broadband internet and Wi-Fi in rural areas.
Most countries have already made regulations for exploitation of white spaces. Microsoft is working to harness the potential of white spaces to deliver broadband wireless services.
?With inputs from public consultation, it would be possible to formulate regulatory framework for use of white spaces, to provide a conducive environment that will facilitate the growth of the telecom and IT sectors,? said the note.
It added that the policy would have to take into consideration geographical environment, availability of white spaces and technical, economical and regulatory issues. DoT is planning to ask the panel of ministers that had looked into vacation of airwaves to look into this new technology.
