Open Spectrum: The New Wireless Paradigm

prostoalex writes ""Almost everything you think you know about spectrum is wrong." - starts Kevin Werbach in his working paper Open Spectrum: The New Wireless Paradigm. He touches the possibilities of using open spectrum, and then dwells on such innovative products like software-defined radios, spread spectrum or cooperative wireless networking. Truly informative insight into where the U.S. government stands on the issues of wireless spectrum, where it should be, and how it will benefit society and individuals."

Comments

Software Defined Radio

[Anonym1ty]

Software-Defined Radio Every radio can be tuned to pick up a certain range of frequencies and it takes some amount of time to change the tuning. Traditionally, these characteristics are fixed in the radio hardware. Thus, for example, the same radio can't pick up both FM radio and mobile phone transmissions, or both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless LAN signals. Software-defined radios, by contrast, can tune dynamically over a wider range of frequencies. A software-defined radio can receive or transmit different kinds of wireless transmissions automatically. If it is a so-called "agile radio," it could adapt to the local environment and seek out open frequencies to communicate. Even in licensed bands, most of the spectrum is empty most of the time. Agile radios could take advantage of that empty space, moving out of the way when another transmission appears.

Um, like uh ok.

Are you likening a radio with a wide receive and transmit to a um Win Modem?

I understand what you mean but I really hate your terminology. Software defined agile radio, OMG lets just make all this kewl stuff sound like a pansy made it.

This really isn't anything new the idea in some forms exists now and has for some time and has been implemented. The only new thing is trying to convince the FCC to allow you to work in unused TV channels and other under-utilized bandwidth because your equipment is smart enough to know there isn't anything in there... ...kewl

Coulda said that in one line rather than such a verbose article.

This makes sense..but probably won't happen....

[Newer Guy]

Why? Our whole enterprise system is based upon monopolies. Look at the FCC these days... they've been making the monopoly of the airwaves BIGGER! In most cities, instead of having 15 or 20 different radio owners, it's now down to three or four. The U.S. radio spectrum policy is based as much (if not more) on politics as on physics and technology. As long as it stays this way (and it will, trust me), the status quo will prevail. The unlicensed bands are few compared to the licensed (read: monopolized) ones...they are less then 1 % of the electromagnetic spectrum. This isn't likely to change, either.