Transcript H%27s presentation at the TV White Space in Africa Workshop

TV White Spaces Spectrum
in Africa Workshop
Implementing Geolocation:
enabling ‘white space’ devices
in the UK
Prof. H Nwana
5 October 2011
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
1
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
2
A new way to access unused spectrum
• White space describes spectrum
that is not used by the licensed
user at a particular location as to
do so would cause interference
to the user’s services elsewhere
High power TV broadcasts using the same
frequency need to leave spaces between their
coverage areas to avoid interference
• This is a new way to access
otherwise unused spectrum –
with many exciting possibilities
– And, in Europe, the UK is in a
leading position
These frequencies can be used in the “white
spaces” in between by lower power devices
3
White spaces in the TV bands
• Our statement sets out the steps necessary
for the introduction of white space devices
operating in the TV bands
• DTT broadcasts and PMSE devices are
licensed to use the 256MHz of retained
spectrum
– Channel 38 is also allocated to PMSE
• In locations where retained spectrum is not
always in use, this spectrum is white space
Channel
number
600MHz band
UHF Bands IV and V
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44
45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68
69
800MHz band
Retained
Cleared
• The amount of spectrum available will vary
by location and frequency
• TV white spaces are attractive to device
vendors and service providers due to the
potential for increased range, compared to
systems operating at higher frequencies
PMSE (dedicated)
WSD: White Space Device
DTT: Digital Terrestrial Television
PMSE: Programme Making and Special Events
4
WSDs Applications: Enhanced Wi-Fi
• What is it?
– Wi-Fi devices operating in TV white spaces, as well as the existing
allocations at 2.4 and 5GHz.
• Why is white space spectrum attractive?
– Popularity of Wi-Fi could lead to congestion and poor performance for
devices operating at 2.4GHz
– Perception that Wi-Fi operating at 5GHz has poor range
5
WSDs Applications: Rural broadband
• What is it?
– Using TV white spaces to provide a wireless broadband connection to rural
areas
• Why is white space spectrum attractive?
– A cost-effective means to provide broadband to areas that would otherwise
be too expensive to serve by other means
Photos courtesy of BT
6
WSDs Applications: Machine-to-machine
communications (M2M)
• What is it?
– Data connections between sensors and devices used for telemetry or
remote monitoring
• Why is white space spectrum attractive?
– A more cost effective network for M2M
communications compared to using,
for example, cellular networks
– For some applications, the additional
range afforded by TV white spaces is
attractive to reach devices deep inside
buildings
7
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
8
There is significant stakeholder interest in WSDs
• Industry interest in developing WSDs and deploying services is growing. There is also
the potential for a market in supporting services, such as spectrum databases providers
• Trials of prototype WSDs are beginning in the UK
– Rural broadband in Scotland
– A range of services in Cambridge
BT’s rural broadband trial in Scotland
• Identified an area of western Scotland with
broadband not-spots
• Across Bute the majority of current not-spots could
be served with TV white space based broadband at
6Mbit/s from just 3 base stations
• Investigating whether white space could be used for connections between the exchange
and the property
• Working with the BBC and academic partners in a government part-funded project to
support some aspects of the trial, such as interference measurements
9
Stakeholders in shared spectrum
• The spectrum that will be used by WSDs is spectrum which is licensed to
specific stakeholders and their services
– Digital terrestrial television services
– Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) equipment, such as
wireless microphones
• We have a duty to secure optimal use of the spectrum – and that it is used in a
way that does not cause harmful interference
• A significant portion of the work to date has been to devise a way to enable
white space access while protecting existing licensed services
– We are confident in our fundamental approach
– We have flexibility to adapt as technologies and applications evolve
– Trials will offer further evidence
• Other stakeholders, such as the BBC and Arqiva, are getting involved in trials
to better understand real-world performance of WSDs
10
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
11
The path towards allowing white space devices
White space access should be
allowed in principle and be
licence exempt, provided no
interference is caused to
licensed services.
Digital Dividend Review
(2007)
Initial views on database
ownership, information
exchange between databases
and WSDs
Cognitive
Access (2009)
Geolocation for
Cognitive
Access (2010)
Geolocation was the most
promising way for a WSD to gain
access to spectrum in the shortmedium term. Sensing is also an
option in the longer-term.
Implementing
Geolocation
(2011)
Initial views on approach to
making WSDs licence
exempt, high-level
requirements on databases
and database providers
12
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
13
We have set out our approach to enabling WSDs to
access white spaces
• Our work on WSDs has focused on their use of TV white spaces. The spectrum that is
becoming available as part of the move to DTT will serve as an appropriate testing
ground for fundamental concepts that could be reused for white spaces in other bands.
• Our preference is to licence exempt WSDs on a non interference, non-protected
basis. We believe that this promotes innovative and efficient use of the spectrum,
assuming no harmful interference is caused to existing services.
1
Geolocation database is populated with data
from incumbent services
2
WSD requests operating parameters (e.g.
transmit frequency and power levels) for its
current location from geolocation database
3
Geolocation database generates operating
parameters calculated not to cause
interference to incumbent services around
the WSD’s location
4
Operating parameters are returned to the
WSD
5
WSD transmits according to the operating
parameters
DTT coverage data
PMSE usage data Other system data
In the
future
1
5
2
4
WSD
3
Geolocation database
14
International developments
• UK has taken an active role in discussing uses of white space within Europe
• Our approach:
– Allows early adopters to deploy services, encouraging prototype services to
emerge in the UK
– Facilitates a phased introduction of WSDs and an opportunity to monitor
performance
– Enables European harmonised standards to be finalised with the benefit of
practical market experience
• In the US, the approach proposed by the FCC has similarities to ours, except
– The FCC’s geolocation database returns a standard transmit power level,
irrespective of the WSD’s location or likelihood of causing interference
– Our approach assigns a transmit power tailored to the WSD
– This has been received favourably by industry
• Movement on WSDs elsewhere in the world has been relatively slow, with
industry looking to the US and UK for direction
15
A new way of managing spectrum in the future?
• An important milestone in spectrum management
– The move from static spectrum management, with its potential for under
utilisation, to a more efficient approach based on multiple users sharing
spectrum dynamically
– It is the first such approach gaining traction internationally
• This more dynamic form of
management could play out in many
areas of spectrum with potentially
large benefits.
– For example, white spaces at VHF
following future migration of FM
broadcast services to DAB
• Currently the priority is to prove the
technology and fundamental
approach
16
Points covered
• What are white spaces and white space devices?
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they involved?
• What steps have we taken to enable access to white spaces?
• What is our approach and how does it compare to other approaches?
• What are our next steps?
17
What are our next steps?
• Publish statement on plans to implement regulatory framework to allow
licensed exempt use of WSDs in the UK
• We plan to:
– Further engage with existing licensees to ensure our approach will offer
protection from harmful interference from WSDs
– Monitor trials to build confidence that the risk of interference from WSDs to
incumbent services is manageable
– Finalise contractual requirements of geolocation database operators
– Put in place and consult on regulatory instruments to licence exempt WSDs
– Actively engage in European harmonisation activities to develop European
harmonised standards for WSDs
18