Ofcom has cleared the way for spare television spectrum to be
used to providebroadband internet connections to UK rural
areas.
The communications regulator has published a discussion paper on
the use of the buffer radio spectrum between TV channels known as
"white space".
Ofcom has invited the IT industry to push ahead with developing
technology to use the white space for proving high-speed internet
access to under-served parts of the UK.
The radio spectrum used for TV is able to travel up to 16km and
would provide a cost-effective alternative to telephone cables and
mobile basestations for getting broadband to rural areas as a key
part of the government's
Digital Britain strategy.
But Ofcom said it could take up to five years for the necessary
products and services to become available.
The spare spectrum can also be used for new devices such as
digital cameras that transmit images to computers as soon as the
image is taken or remote controls for central heating in homes.
Technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Dell
have expressed interest in using the technology, which would be
exempt from licence fees, according to the
Financial Times.
Technology companies have been blocked from using white space in
the US because of concerns over interference with other radio
devices. But Ofcom said interference can be avoided by developing a
geo-location database containing live information on which
frequencies are free in particular locations.
The white space services would not be allowed in areas where
there was risk of interference, Ofcom said.