With the expansion of wireless nationwide, it is inevitable that more and more airwaves are being used leading to less available spectrum space. This being said, should the wireless world be truly concerned?
Major providers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless have recently begun talking publicly about how scarce network resources may soon be and how that will affect wireless data pricing. This mainly concerns wireless spectrum, specifically the regulated airwaves over which wireless providers send their signals, so what is going to happen if these large providers simply run out of room?
It is expected that the FCC will announce a National Broadband Plan soon that will in some way address the issue and provide a plan for freeing up more spectrum. This being said, given the long legal process involved with spectrum switches, many providers and users are still very skeptical. This ‘spectrum crisis’ is very real for them.
Clearwire, a powerful national WiMAX provider, stands in contrast to other major providers thanks to their wealth of spectrum space. In many major markets in the country, they have two or three times as much space as AT&T and Verizon. This allows for Clearwire to provide high-speed wireless to millions of new customers without the need to rely on the government or industry to gain any new airwaves.
Photo courtesy of hawaii via Flickr
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While it's true that the supply of spectrum is finite, and the demand for spectrum seems to grow daily given the growth of private networks, use of high bandwidth applications, and next generation devices, there are alternative solutions. One solution to the problem of spectrum scarcity is to help everyone more efficiently use existing spectrum, otherwise known as creating “universal spectrum access”.
By creating a single point for anyone to locate and access available spectrum, both licensed and unlicensed, it will provide wireless users with a variety of spectrum allocation solutions, such as buying, selling, leasing, time-sharing, partitioning, or disaggregating spectrum, or even utilizing white spaces for various applications. The result, better utilization of bandwidth and enhanced optimization of network performance, while increasing the amount of spectrum available.
While it's true that the supply of spectrum is finite, and the demand for spectrum seems to grow daily given the growth of private networks, use of high bandwidth applications, and next generation devices, there are alternative solutions. One solution to the problem of spectrum scarcity is to help everyone more efficiently use existing spectrum, otherwise known as creating “universal spectrum access”.
By creating a single point for anyone to locate and access available spectrum, both licensed and unlicensed, it will provide wireless users with a variety of spectrum allocation solutions, such as buying, selling, leasing, time-sharing, partitioning, or disaggregating spectrum, or even utilizing white spaces for various applications. The result, better utilization of bandwidth and enhanced optimization of network performance, while increasing the amount of spectrum available.
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