Singapore begins pilot testing of TV White Spaces

Next-gen smart radio tech promises to revolutionize wireless connectivity in the island.

"TV White Spaces (TVWS) refer to unused radio spectrum in the TV broadcast bands that could potentially be utilised for alternative wireless broadband communications similar to Wi-Fi capabilities, but with lower-power, lower-cost and longer-range characteristics," said government research agency A*STAR in a release.

"TV White Spaces technologies could also enable a multitude of devices to be connected wirelessly and cost-effectively to power applications and services created for a smart-city," it added.

Microsoft Singapore, StarHub, and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) --  the founding members of the Singapore White Spaces Pilot Group (SWSPG) -- have begun the first series of commercial pilot deployments of TV White Spaces (TVWS) smart radio technology.

The said technology "could introduce a new class of wireless connectivity to Singapore, putting the Lion City at the forefront of a new wave of wireless services innovation and Smart City applications," according to A*STAR.

"As an initial step, three commercial pilot projects are currently being carried out by SWSPG members with industry partners to explore how white spaces technology can supplement and enhance the existing broadband infrastructure, overcome challenging terrains, maximise radio spectrum efficiency, and enable innovative consumer and business applications," it added.

"Radio frequency spectrum is a scarce commodity. There will not be sufficient spectrum to support the exponential growth in the wireless broadband traffic we are seeing today and going forward. TVWS offer significantly more bandwidth capacity and good penetration characteristics as it is in the sub-1GHz band. We see good potential in TVWS and are studying how we can deploy for backhaul and Super Wi-Fi," said Mr. Mock Pak Lum, Chief Technology Officer of StarHub.

“The Singapore TVWS pilots are very timely with the on-going digital TV transition and rising trends of the Internet of Things and Smart City regionally," said Mr. Michael Thatcher, Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector, Microsoft Asia Pacific. “TVWS has great potential to create new growth opportunities for the Singapore ICT ecosystem. As one of the region’s first to implement TVWS pilots, this also demonstrates Singapore’s leadership in embracing new ICT approaches, as it transforms into an Intelligent Nation and Global City.”