White Space, the next internet disruption: 10 things to know

White Space has started spreading internet access to unconnected areas. Here's what you need to know about this confusing, widely-hyped, emerging technology.

Carlson Wireless, which distributes white space broadband spectrum, created RuralConnect. The project delivers frequencies from 470 to 698 MHz to areas that would otherwise have trouble getting internet access.

In even the most developed countries, there are huge gaps in internet access. Fixed broadband access is unaffordable for 3.9 billion people around the world. In the U.S., about 72 percent of people have home broadband internet access, but 60 million people are still living without it. According to Pew Research, part of the reason for this lag in adoption is the expense of broadband internet.

White Space stands to transform the way we purchase and use wireless internet. It isn't yet widely adopted, but this unlicensed, free form of broadband is gaining traction. Here are 10 things you should know to get up to speed on this disruptive technology.

1. The definition of White Space

White Space refers to the unused broadcasting frequencies in the wireless spectrum. Television networks leave gaps between channels for buffering purposes, and this space in the wireless spectrum is similar to what is used for 4G and so it can be used to deliver widespread broadband internet.

Typical home Wi-Fi can travel through two walls. White Space broadband can travel up to 10 kilometers, through vegetation, buildings, and other obstacles. Tablets, phones, and computers can all access this wireless internet using White Space through fixed or portable power stations. The actual amounts of spectrum vary by region, but White Space spectrum ranges from 470 MHz to 790 Mhz.

2. White Space has been tested in many areas

A student uses white space broadband spectrum to connect to Wi-Fi on campus at WVU

One of the largest white space technology trials occurred in Cambridge in 2011 when Microsoft, the BBC, BT, and Nokia launched a consortium to support the project. Then, at the end of last year, Ofcom, the regulator of UK communications industries, announced a six month trial with 20 private and public sector organizations, making it Europe's first major pilot of the technology. There have been other successful tests in Canada and Africa in recent years, as well.

In 2011, Wilmington, North Carolina implemented White Space technology to connect the city's infrastructure, allowing public officials to remotely turn lights on and off in parks, provide public wireless broadband to certain areas of the city, and monitor water levels. At West Virginia University, White Space technology is used to power a "super Wi-Fi network". It started in 2013 with wireless internet on the campus public transit platform, which transports about 15,000 students a day. WVU is the first campus to utilize White Space broadband internet.

3. The FCC is encouraging White Space technology in the U.S.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) has approved four TVWS (TV White Space) databases and seven models of devices to power them. Portable devices are not yet available, but these fixed devices offer internet services in rural areas for businesses, residences, and institutions, according to Stillwell.

4. White Space potential in developing countries

Google and Microsoft are already chasing the emerging White Space market in Africa, where only 16 percent of the population is online. Because the waves can travel up to 10 kilometers in radius, it is great for remote, off-the-grid villages.

Google and Microsoft have also invested in White Space technology in developing countries. Google recently launched a program in 10 schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Microsoft's 4Afrika initiative is focusing on White Space technology throughout the continent, hoping to bring millions of people online, and has projects in place in Tanzania and South Africa.

5. How to power White Space stations

Rural areas, both in the U.S. and abroad, are often inhibited from wireless access because they are inaccessible and off the local power grid. Cell towers are difficult to install and can't connect, either. Fortunately, White Space power stations can be charged with solar panels, and the excess electricity generated can also power other institutions in the area such as schools.

6. Potential in rural areas

Rural areas, where people have not received very good broadband services in the past and present, are the perfect places to start using White Space technology, said Dr. Apurva N. Mody, chairman of the WhiteSpace Alliance, an organization that studies and promotes the deployment of White Space for broadband internet.

"One of the biggest problem in rural areas is to meet the device points, the houses are separated by longer distances and it's very difficult for cable and fiber optics to meet this," he added. "The traditional structures can only go five kilometers or so."

With a cell tower or other device, the White Space technology can travel 10 kilometers and service many more customers at one time. The FCC does not have data on every individual location of devices since the use is on an unlicensed basis, but two manufacturers—Carlson Wireless and Adaptrum, Inc—are investing in White Space in rural areas.

7. There is a big future for White Space technology

Spectrum Bridge, a telecommunication software company, was one of the first databases certified by the FCC. The company has worked with Dell, Google, and Microsoft to deploy experimental broadband networks. Spectrum Bridge has several tools on their website to show where and how much White Space is available in the U.S, including Show My White Space.

"Unlicensed spectrum provides opportunities for free wireless local distribution of internet service." Stillwell said. "The demand for unlicensed spectrum using Wi-Fi technologies at 2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz has been growing at very high rates and that growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future."

8. Companies are investing in white space

A Google Earth map shows where TV white space spectrum is currently available in the U.S.

Last June, the FCC certified Google to operate the national database, deciding which parts of White Space spectrum can be used for wireless connections. The software uses an application programming interface (API) that allows devices to find details about configuration without humans. The API is free to individuals and Google offers a commercial license for businesses.

Microsoft has implemented White Space projects throughout Asia, including a recent deployment in Singapore through partnerships with Singapore government research agencies and a UK wireless service provider in areas where vegetation makes wireless access difficult. In conjunction with its projects in Europe, Microsoft is also creating a database for White Space in the U.S., much like Google's.

9. Incentive auctions will change everything

The FCC introduced incentive auctions in the 2010 National Broadband Plan. The auctions are a voluntary, market-based way that encourages licensees to relinquish spectrum rights in exchange for a share of proceeds from the auction of new licenses. Congress authorized these auctions in 2012. Once the incentive auctions are are implemented, Stillwell said, and the amount of spectrum in each local area is more clear, a roll-out service will progress more rapidly. Incentive auctions will be the biggest issue in the U.S. soon enough, since there are already deployed wireless services and no one is focused yet on the extra space that is available.

10. Cable companies will want to purchase White Space

Internet service providers were ranked the lowest customer service satisfaction of any industry in America, according to American Customer Satisfaction Index's most recent survey. The two largest providers, Comcast and Time Warner, were ranked the lowest out of all internet service providers.

However, incentive auctions could potentially allow private companies like Comcast and Time Warner to purchase unlicensed broadband spectrum and use it for themselves. If the FCC allows cable companies or other internet providers to buy sections of the spectrum, the amount of free, unlicensed Wi-Fi space will drastically reduce in size. So far, the FCC has allowed very few internet service providers to license the White Space spectrum. Hopefully, they will continue to be cautious about who they allow to purchase the spectrum so that it can be a disruptive force in connecting more people to the internet.

Eight Trends Driving the Future of Information Technology

The emerging world of information technology is one in which data is king, social platforms evolve as a new source of business intelligence, and cloud computing finally delivers on IT’s role as a driver of business growth, according to a new report from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

The Accenture Technology Vision 2011 identifies eight emerging trends that challenge long-held assumptions about IT and are poised to reshape the business landscape. The report also offers “action steps” that high performing businesses and governments can take to prepare for the new world of computing.

1) Platform Architecture

One of the most significant trends identified in the report finds that the age of “viewing everything through an application lens is coming to an end.” Instead, platform architectures will be selected primarily to cope with soaring volumes of data and the complexity of data management, not for their ability to support applications.

The tried and true relational database will not go away, but it will soon start to make way for other types of databases – streaming databases, for instance – that mark a significant departure from what IT departments and business users have relied on for decades.

2) Social Platforms

The report also predicts the evolution of social media into social platforms. This means company websites may no longer be the first port of call for customers. This has the potential to disrupt the way companies conduct business, posing new challenges – and opportunities – for IT.

For example, “social identities” – based on the rich history of information that individuals leave in social networks – will become much more valuable to businesses than the traditional and isolated information they get when an individual registers on their corporate website.

3) Cloud Computing

Accenture also sees a new conversation emerging around cloud computing, which will become so pervasive that the term itself becomes superfluous. According to the report, hybrid clouds – software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) in combination with internal applications – will “cement IT’s role as a driver of business growth.”

The focus will shift from simple infrastructure solutions to developing cloud strategies that deliver increased functionality and flexibility using a mix of public and private cloud-based application and platform services. While many challenges remain, cloud is nonetheless poised to change the face of enterprise computing.

4) Data Security

The fortress mentality, in which all IT has to be architect ed to be foolproof, is giving way to a security architecture that responds proportionately to threats when and where they happen.” As a result, the role of people in data security will decline, replaced by automated capabilities that detect, assess, and respond immediately.

5) Data Privacy

Individual privacy will take center stage as a result of increased government regulation and policy enforcement. The report concludes: “We expect that leading players will develop superior levels of understanding, enterprise-wide, about the distinctions between being a data processor – broadly handling the personal data of others – versus being a data controller, thus lowering the risks of unwitting breaches or privacy regulations and perceptions of privacy breakdowns.”

6) Analytics

Companies that continue to view analytics as a simple extension of business intelligence will be “severely underestimating analytics’ potential to move the needles on the business.” Among other failings, traditional BI does not take advantage of the wealth of unstructured data that is now available. IT leaders will need to work closely with business leaders to identify where analytics can be leveraged effectively, as well as the proper mix of services required to optimize analytics capabilities across the enterprise.

7) Architecture

Information technology is evolving from a world that is server-centric to one that is service-centric. Companies are quickly moving away from monolithic systems that were wedded to one or more servers toward finer-grained, reusable services distributed inside and outside the enterprise. The goal: to decouple infrastructure, systems, applications, and business processes from one another.

8) User Experience

Today, business process design is driven by the need for optimization and cost reduction. Tomorrow it will be driven by the need to create superior user experiences that help to boost customer satisfaction. Great user experiences will require more layered approaches than what is typical today. As such, application design will be a multidisciplinary exercise: Typically handled today by IT architects and business owners, tomorrow it will involve optimization from the perspective of the process actor, with the emphasis on simplicity and on removing inefficiencies.

Trending IT Topics to be Aware of

8 top trending IT topics to be aware of

Information technology has registered a handsome growth in the past few years. This is a dynamic sector, as technology keeps on evolving. One needs to catch up with the latest to keep themselves updated with sector. Here is a list of top eight technologies one needs to be aware of:

1. Software-as-a-service: This is one of the latest technologies. It helps in hosting software on a central cloud making it accessible by clients via web browsers.

2. Cloud: Cloud technologies use network of isolated servers hosted on internet to store, manage, and process data.

3. Mobility: This is related to wireless networking for transfer of data. The next phase is having advanced feature including beam forming and multi-user MIMO.

4. Bring Your Own Device: BYOD brings freedom to employees to choose his own gadget for workplace. It helps them to be more productive and also saves cost of employers.

5. Software-defined networking: SDN lays down the tools that help to virtualize the network infrastructure. It's key role is to provide programmatic interfaces into network equipment.

6. Internet of Things: IoT represents all the gadgets that contain IP address and can transfer data with internet connectivity.

7. Big Data: This is essential for big organizations and enterprises that deals with Terabytes, Petabytes and Exabytes of data.

8. IPv6: IPv6 is the latest version of the internet protocol that cures all errors by providing an identification and location system for computers on networks.