A trial to demonstrate that broadband can be run in the white spaces in broadcasting frequency is being run by several partners in Cape Town.
The group is setting up a TV White Spaces (TVWS) trial for 10 schools in the Western Cape, over a six-month period.
The partners include Tertiary Education and Research Network of SA (Tenet), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR's) Meraka unit, e-Schools Network, the Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA), Comsol Wireless Solutions, and Google.
WAPA GM Ingi Deutschlander explains the trial is still in a very early stage and a go-live date has not yet been announced. She says part of the purpose is to determine whether broadband can be run in the digital dividend without interfering with broadcasting.
SA is migrating to digital TV using the European DVB-T2 standard, which is more efficient and will free up spectrum at around 800MHz. Operators would like access to that range to offer long-term evolution in rural areas as the frequency penetrates further, making it more cost-effective to use when rolling out base stations.
Testing ground
The trial is being run with the support of the Independent Communications Authority of SA. The partners hope to show TVWS has the potential to improve access in underserved areas and be a viable last mile solution.
According to information on Tenet's Web site, the trial also seeks to increase awareness of the potential for TVWS technology in SA and across the continent. So far, pre-installation of network equipment has been completed at 10 schools in the Western Cape.
The technology is currently available, and the trial will be used to inform the regulatory process in SA.
The TVWS trial network will consist of a base station located on top of Tygerberg Hospital, which will deliver broadband Internet service to 10 schools within a 10km radius. Schools were chosen based on their proximity to the base station, local IT and network support, and other connectivity requirements.
Each school will receive dedicated a 2.5Mbps service with failover to ADSL in order to prevent downtime during school hours.
CSIR Meraka has permission to operate the network through a group of partners and will perform spectrum field measurements to demonstrate non-interference. Tenet is managing the network and providing IP transit, while e-Schools Network is providing support services to the partner schools, and Google is sponsoring the trial.
WAPA has sourced local vendors to deploy the network, and Comsol Wireless Solutions is installing, configuring, and maintaining the network radio equipment.
Share