Following the pioneering research unveiled earlier this month by Cambridge based start-up, NeulNET, a consortium of the world’s leading technology companies has been formed today in order to push TV white space technology.
With the proliferation of internet ready devices, which are forecast to overshadow the human population by a factor of 2 within 4 years, existing frequencies for wireless broadband transmission are becoming increasingly clogged.
But by using abandoned frequencies once used by television channels prior to the digital switchover, pressure can be eased off the existing broadband and cellular networks.
Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium consists of BBC, BSkyB, BT, Cambridge Consultants, Microsoft, Neul, Nokia, Samsung, Spectrum Bridge and TTP; leaders in communication and communication technologies. Together the consortium will pursue the new technology, with a particular focus on extending internet services to rural areas out of the fibre optic network.
“With the number of connected devices and data applications growing rapidly,” consortium members said in a joint comment, “and with mobile networks feeling the strain, we must find ways of satisfying the traffic demands of today and tomorrow. This trial will attempt to demonstrate that unused TV spectrum is well-placed to increase the UK’s available mobile bandwidth, which is critical to effectively responding to the exponential growth in data-intensive services, while also enabling future innovation.”