White Spaces Worth Some Money

The recent move to digital TV opened up white spaces in the frequency spectrum. Some of these white spaces are worth quite a bit of money according to this article. The report was commissioned by Microsoft and points to wireless broadband usage in rural areas using the unlicensed 700 MHz spectrum as the market opportunity. Broadcasters are suing the FCC for letting the spectrum go to this application unlicensed as broadcasters have to pay for the use of their spectrum.

The FCC recently made the decision to leave the white spaces unlicensed much to the chagrin of broadcasters who currently use the spectrum for wireless microphones. Tech companies such as Google and Microsoft see this as the next generation wireless opportunity as they can provide tools and services more cheaply by leveraging this spectrum without the additional cost of licensing and managing the spectrum.

According to the report, spectrum sensing will soon become mandatory technology for those wishing to use the white spaces. For an overview of the report check out this site. You can find the full FCC order here.

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