The Telegraph: Google and Microsoft go on wi-fi offensive
" Senior government sources have told The Sunday Telegraph that the two technology giants have expressed "extreme interest" in unused sections of airwaves known as white spaces.These spaces are effectively gaps between those airwaves used for television, radio and mobile services, and are used as buffers to prevent the broadcasting and mobile signals from interfering with each other. In the past, white spaces have been put to little or no use, but telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to develop them for broadband services. "Recycling airwaves – or 'spectrum' – in this way is a highly efficient use of what is a very limited resource," the watchdog said. "
" The details of Google and Microsoft's plans are not known, but telecoms analysts said the latter could be eyeing the white spaces as a way of building free, automatic wi-fi access into Nokia's new generation of Windows smartphones.Meanwhile Google could use the white spaces as a way of offering free wi-fi services to customers with phones powered by its Android operating system, as well as to other members of the public. "
Cambridge Consortium Completes Successful Trial of Next-Generation Wireless
"CAMBRIDGE, England — 25 April 2012 — Following more than 10 months of comprehensive testing in urban and rural areas in and around Cambridge, England, the Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium, which comprises leading international and UK technology and media companies, has successfully demonstrated the potential of television white spaces. The consortium explored and measured a range of applications — rural wireless broadband, urban pop-up coverage and the emerging “machine-to-machine” communication — and found TV white spaces can be successfully utilised to help satisfy the rapidly accelerating demand for wireless connectivity. The consortium members recommend that the UK regulator Ofcom complete its development of the enabling regulatory framework in a manner that protects licensees from harmful interference and encourages innovation and deployment. "