allocation of wireless spectrum

8/8/2019 Allocation of Wireless Spectrum

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Allocation of Wireless Spectrum

White Space

Lance Lohman

Tuan Huynh


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What is Spectrum?

y Spectrum, or electromagnetic spectrum, wasdiscovered in the mid 1800s.


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Spectrumy Spectrum, or electromagnetic spectrum, was

discovered in the mid 1800s.

y Early 1900s: AM Radio


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Spectrumy Spectrum, or electromagnetic spectrum, was

discovered in the mid 1800s.

y Early 1900s: AM Radio

y 1930s: FCC licensed the first portions of the spectrumin the 700 MHz band for the TV stations to use.


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Spectrum


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Spectrum

y In 1950s, wirelessmicrophone technologycame along and used thosesame white spaces as theirlanes to transmit signal.


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y With the advent of

digital broadcasting,TV no longer requiredthe full 700 MHzportion of thespectrum at all.

The switch from Analog to Digital


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y To put it another way: TV got flyingcars, so the FCC wanted to put theirold lanes to better use.


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The FCC Auctiony In 2008, the government auctioned off pieces of it in

an anonymous auction process that sold it for $19.6

billion to Verizon and AT&T.yAnother portion of the 700 MHz portion is going to

first responders, like police or firemen etc, and variousgovernment agencies.


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White Spacesy White spaces are the unused spectrum space that act

as buffers between TV broadcasts (less needed now

after digital transition)y Considered prime spectrum space because they have a

long reach and can easily pass through many materials

y Many are excited about potential for WiFi over this

spectrumy 9x faster

y 3x stronger

y Reach farther


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Wi-fi on Steriods


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The Big DebateTo Be or Not to Be?

y Unlicense the Spectrum and put it in the publicdomain for open innovations

y Or license the Spectrum to a few companies who are

qualified to handle it


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FCC Rulings on White Spacey November 2008 suspended ruling for opening the

spectrum; extensive testing for wireless device

interferenceyJune 2010: Rejection of wireless signal sensing device;

establishment of constantly updated databases ofoccupied frequencies

y

September 2010: the final verdict was


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Who are the Players?


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y Technology companies,mobile companies,

broadcastingcompanies.


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broadcastingcompanies

y The government: wantsto keep some of the

spectrum for its usage


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broadcastingcompanies

y The government: wantsto keep some of the

spectrum for its usageyAcademia


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Why unlicensed?y Economics: expand the market, with more

consumers/producers on Wi-Fi, stimulating the economy

y

Technology: similar to theI

nternet, rather thancentralizing the control, you decentralize the system andlet the public innovates on it: super-charges innovations-crows of people can develop new ideas faster than isolatedgeniuses and disseminate them even better

y Political/Electoral by helping the spectrum go public, theFCC can gain popular support from the people

y Social expanding the social network


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Tech Troubles with Unlicensed Spectrumy Interference Many devices,

all competing for same area

y Database reliability

Accuracy and speedy Infrastructure Power and

Range

y Management/Enforcement

Tracking, penalizing thoseusing spectrum maliciously

y WiMax Feasibility a pipedream?


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Unlicensed Spectrum Costs Societyy Majority of country relies on broadcast TV for news,

information cannot disrupt that

yNo matter how great tech is, if its inconsistent, it wontbe used

y Politically, lose leverage on companies

y Government loses money from auction

y Hurts economy and consumers by not being put tobetter use


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Spectrum Use: Prioritize!y Long range, high penetration spectrum is a limited

resource

y

Owned by public, which trusts the government to putit to the best possible use for society

y What task? And who to implement it?


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Spectrum Use: Mobile Data Trafficy Rapidly reaching capacity of mobile spectrum while

mobile use is still climbing (currently 680 Mhz

available)y AT&T: 2006-2009 saw 5000% increase in mobile data

traffic

y ITU 06: Projecting wireless needs of 1300 Mhz by 2015

y

CTI

A 09: Requesting 800 additional Mhz by 2015y Cisco: Mobile data traffic will double every year between

2008 and 2013


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Cisco Projections Video is primary driver of increased need


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Why License?y Need to maximize use; FCC can mandate priorities

during auction to ensure public/private balance

y

Dozens of interested companies that have theinfrastructure, experience, and capacity necessary toget the most out of the spectrum

y Uses market to solve tech and societal problems

ensure continued growth now!


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WiFiy Our current Wi-Fi system is worth around $4 billion a

year

y

With the advent ofWhite Space, the wireless industryis estimated to worth $7.3 billion per year

y More new devices will come out and connect on a all-time strong level.

y The landscape will change. It will affect how peoplegoing to access the Internet in different, novel waybeyond a cellphone


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International Perspectivesy UK is supportive for unlicensing the spectrum. Theyre

keeping an eye of the USs model and see how things

unfold


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Look into the Futurey Talks of how this coming age of turbo-connection will

help the planet as a whole. It is taken from an IBMs

presentation released in March.

y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfEbMV295Kk


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Questions & Answers

allocation of wireless spectrum

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