White space network trials a success for Cambridge Consultants

Using the social media tools Twitter, YouTube and Skype, the company demonstrated the potential of white space frequency, the unused spectrum between tv channels, as a viable solution to the problems of rural broadband provision. The village of Cottenham in Cambridgeshire was chosen to test the network 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 6km away. The company's efforts into the super network are part of a wider consortium being led by Microsoft to explore how the unused tv spectrum could provide an inexpensive solution to satisfy the escalating wireless connectivity requirements of UK consumers. The Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium includes technology giants BBC, BSkyB, BT, Cambridge Consultants, Microsoft, Neul, Nokia, Samsung, Spectrum Bridge and TTP. Trials are being undertaken by several of the members over this week to look at ways of increasing the UK's available mobile bandwidth. Richard Traherne, pictured, head of wireless at Cambridge Consultants, commented: "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."