Ofcom are looking into use of so called white spaces in the TV spectrum that could be used for other purposes such as delivery of broadband into rural areas.
For more detail on this see the Ofcom website: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2009/11/nr_20091117a
On the surface of it this is good news - this could bring fairly high bandwidth over long distances and be relatively unaffected by buildings, trees or weather. However the key comment in the Ofcom article is "this technology remains largely unproven and a significant amount of work needs to be done..." in other words, don't get your hopes up!
The trouble is this 'new' technology will require new equipment both at the transmitter and receiver ends of the communication path. As with any new technology it will have technical challenges before it can be relied on. In addition in its early days it is likely to be expensive (volume drives down price but cannot be achieved until the technology is mature - the classic Catch 22 of tech companies!).
Nonetheless we should welcome such innovation and hope that some UK companies can be the ones to bring this to market thereby benefiting both themselves, the rural communities and the economy at large as they will need to employ staff to manage their growth!
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
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ReplyDeleteOfcom been 'researching' this for so long, one wonders what exactly they do all day. Deal with complaints from xfactor viewers and irate people who can't get broadband I suppose. I agree with you, we should welcome innovation in the white space area, but it won't come from ofcom.
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