“White spaces” are increasingly available due to the switchover from analogue to digital TV. These are essentially the unused parts of the digital TV spectrum in a specific geography.

Openreach is conducting the trial to see if white space can be used to assist homes that either receive no broadband service or a sub 2 Mb/s service due to the length of their line.

Judging from Google's business operation project manager Larry Alder comments of their hospital network deployment to improve broadband "white space spectrum holds a lot of promise."

The major hurdle is to "ensure the transmission don't interfere with other communications on those frequencies and with each other.

But in Alder's opinion, white space networks could solve a lot of issues for wireless internet having a much broader reach than any existing wireless technologies, even some of the latest 4G technology and being relatively cheap to use and maintain.

In the UK, BT Openreach works with the University of Strathclyde, BBC Research and Development, Glasgow based Steepest Ascent , London-based Berg Design and Fintry, Glasgow-region based Netpropagate Systems, to trial its new wireless broadband access technology on that jewel in the Clyde, the Isle of Bute. The consortium is backed with government Technology Strategy Board funding.

Initial results have been very promising, the technology being tested over long distances and challenging terrain. Further tests are required however and live trials  due to commence this month with approximately a dozen end users across the island.

End users will have their wireless service linked back to the exchange building at Kilchattan Bay, from where a dedicated radiolink to the mainland will provide internet broadband access.

Products for white space
Cambridge Consultants and the start-up company Neul also have plans to make use of the white space networks. Both bring their new equipment technology to the party.

Cambridge Consultants successfully trialled its White Space network at Cottenham village, Cambridgeshire using a range of social media tools, and claims the first ever Tweet to be sent via a White Space connection   from @CambConsultants to marking a step forward in the adoption of this technology.

Cottenham village was chosen due to its lack of wireless provision and availability of spectrum. Transmitting from an antenna positioned at the top of Cambridge Consultants’ headquarters, the signal was able to reach the village approximately 6kms away.

The traditional white space challenge is to avoid interference with residents’ TV signals and professional radio microphones. To address this, Cambridge Consultants worked closely with the licensing authority, and have developed a database engine, which accurately pinpoints unused frequencies available to use in each locality.

The low-cost ‘spectral sensing’ cognitive radio technology platform can enable White Space radios to search the spectrum for channels that have interference, potentially from other non-TV and non-microphone users. Called InCognito this White Space sensing capability is based on radio hardware and software algorithms allowing it to quickly and accurately find the best spectrum to use.

Richard Traherne, (left) head of wireless said “We believe that White Space, as a pioneering cognitive radio wireless technology, has the potential to change the way that people communicate, especially in rural areas.

"It has a wide range of applications, from healthcare to home working, and we expect to see these and other exciting applications emerge in the near future.”

Another UK player is Neul (the internet of everything) a start-up which has received a funding boost of £8m from investors that includes venture capital firm DFJ Esprit, IQ Capital and Cambridge Angels.


The Neul product is NeulNET, the first radio system specifically designed to use TV white space which meets FCC/Ofcom regulations, allowing networks to operate legally within TV white space.

"White space delivers a huge amount of much-needed new capacity to meet the current and future needs of the M2M market.  But it presents significant technical challenges," says CEO James Collier.

"In order to utilise the enormous potential of white space, the industry needs low-cost radios based on an industry standard. NeulNET radios, built around the new Weightless standard deliver this."

A NeulNET system comprises a base station, a battery powered terminal device, antennas and a set of PC based network management tools. But the price is not quoted on the website. Neul is hoping for the wide-ranging applications of its technology through an estimated 50bn connected M2M  devices. Local broadband delivery and the connection of “transportation and personal health devices” are potential  users of this technology.

Amongst Neul’s projects are the trials announced as part of the Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium. This group of interested parties investing in the M2M space includes heavyweights like  Microsoft, the BBC , BSkyB, BT , Cambridge Consultants, Neul, Nokia, Samsun, Florida-based Spectrum Bridge  and TPP .

Pity there are no vital observer status participants from Scottish and Wales who seem as likely markets and players as Cambridge?