Implementing Geolocation: enabling ‘white space’ devicesin the UK

Prof. H Nwana5 October 2011

TV White Spaces Spectrum in Africa Workshop

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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?

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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?

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High power TV broadcasts using the same frequency need to leave spaces between their

coverage areas to avoid interference

These frequencies can be used in the “white spaces” in between by lower power devices

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

• This is a new way to access otherwise unused spectrum – with many exciting possibilities– And, in Europe, the UK is in a

leading position

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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

• 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

WSD: White Space DeviceDTT: Digital Terrestrial TelevisionPMSE: Programme Making and Special Events

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UHF Bands IV and V

Retained

Cleared

PMSE (dedicated)

800MHz band

600MHz bandChannel number

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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?

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The path towards allowing white space devicesWhite space access should be

allowed in principle and be licence exempt, provided no

interference is caused to licensed services.

Geolocation was the most promising way for a WSD to gain access to spectrum in the short-medium term. Sensing is also an

option in the longer-term.

Initial views on database ownership, information

exchange between databases and WSDs

Initial views on approach to making WSDs licence

exempt, high-level requirements on databases

and database providers

Digital Dividend Review (2007)

Cognitive Access (2009)

Implementing Geolocation

(2011)

Geolocation for Cognitive

Access (2010)

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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?

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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.

DTT coverage data PMSE usage data

In the future

Other system data

Geolocation database

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1 Geolocation database is populated with data from incumbent services

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2 WSD requests operating parameters (e.g. transmit frequency and power levels) for its current location from geolocation database

WSD

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

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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

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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

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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?

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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