Text Size
- Home
-
News
Advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, other ACM resources, and from around the Web.
- Blogs
- Opinion
-
Browse by Subject
Recent articles from Communications organized into categories that encompass the broad scope of computing.
-
Magazine Archive
-
Careers
Jump-start your career with information on trends, opportunities and jobs – in both industry and academia.
- ACM Resources
-
Subscribe
Receive the benefits of ACM membership with a subscription to its flagship publication, Communications of the ACM.
This Article
ACM TechNews
Study Shows Inequalities in 'White-Spaces' Wireless
![[article image]](/system/assets/0000/3215/061810_Mubaraq-Mishra2.large.jpg?1276885403&1276885402 "Berkeley Wireless Research Center's Mubaraq Mishra")
"We wanted to know how many channels or how much bandwidth does a random person in the U.S. get," says Mubaraq Mishra, who conducted the white spaces study with UC Berkeley colleagues.
Credit: Mubaraq Mishra
University of California, Berkeley (UCB) researchers recently published a detailed analysis of the potential for long-distance wireless Internet connectivity using white spaces, the portion of the radio spectrum that was vacated by the switch to digital TV. The analysis shows how the interaction of population density, TV stations, and economics will determine what consumers get from spectrum, which will remain unlicensed. The spectrum's lower-frequency signals travel further and penetrate buildings more effectively than existing wireless data connections such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cell phone links.
The UCB model uses the Federal Communication Commission's database of active TV stations as well as census figures to calculate the usable white space available in each area. "White spaces are ultimately for people, not random locations, so we think it's important to also incorporate that," says UCB's Mubaraq Mishra.
In general, the researchers found that areas with more TV stations and more people will experience slower access speeds.
From Technology Review
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2010 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA 
Post a comment...
Tools For Readers
Related ACM Resources
Conferences:
- ICIISCE 2012: International Conference on Innovations of Information System and Computer Engineering - May 28 – 29, 2012; Vienna, Austria
Courses:
- Realistic Time Management Goals (Includes Simulation) - In this course, you will identify strategies for improving your use of time. You will identify some strategies for pursuing effective time-management skills, including defining …
About Communications |
Join ACM 
|
Renew |
Subscribe |
Sign In |
For Authors |
For Advertisers |
Privacy |
Site Map |
Help |
Contact Us |
Mobile Site
Copyright © 2012 by the ACM. All rights reserved.