[ NNSquad ] Re: Google announces a white spaces trial -- (and a reality check from me)

["Bob Frankston" <Bob19-0501@bobf.frankston.com>]

I'm still concerned about all this emphasis on "whitespace" and no effort to
take advantage of the far great amount of unused space on the fibers and
wires around us that is behind the myriad of access points all around us.
How much impact will "whitespace" have compared with making that capacity
available?

http://rmf.vc/?n=SpectrumDIrt for more on removing the distinction between
wired and wireless bits.

Removing artificial barriers to the use of "wireless" is good but let's keep
it in perspective.

   [ One big advantage of wireless is that "the air" doesn't require
     ongoing physical maintenance.  All you need are the terminals.
     Physical plant like fiber and copper are a completely different
     matter (and I'm unconvinced that there is much available unused
     local access fiber just laying around idle where it's needed.
     There's lots of dark longer-haul fiber, but local access is the
     major problem.)  And any emphasis on copper at this stage is a
     fool's game.  Existing copper plant is rotting away and nobody
     wants to deal with it any longer than they have to (and I'll
     include AT&T/U-verse in that category).  And without a lot of
     expensive fiber-fed remote terminals and often considerable
     "conditioning," much of the copper out there is unsuitable for
     other than comparatively low speeds (and that's assuming you're
     close enough to the CO ...)

        -- Lauren Weinstein
           NNSquad Moderator ]

     

-----Original Message-----
From: nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org
[mailto:nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org] On Behalf Of
Lauren Weinstein
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 13:20
To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org
Subject: [ NNSquad ] Google announces a white spaces trial -- (and a reality
check from me)


Google announces a white spaces trial -- (and a reality check from me)

Google has announced a new white spaces trial: http://bit.ly/c5Zc6o

White spaces spectrum usage has a great deal of potential, and the upcoming
FCC rules likely to formalize their availability are much anticipated
(whether or not there will be litigation over any aspects of those rules is
still an open question).

However, one important reality check.  In metro areas in particular spectrum
congestion is so thick that most potential channels are unavailable for
white space use. For example, checking at my location here in L.A., I find
that only three channels are potentially available for fixed installations,
and *no* channels are available for portable use at the 100mw level (and
only two at 40mw).  This is better than nothing, but white spaces will
likely be of far more use outside of major population centers.  In general
the white space availability chart for L.A. is almost entirely red "X"
marks, unfortunately.

--Lauren--
NNSquad Moderator