White Space: The Final (Telecom) Frontier
Tired of your expensive iPhone bill with $30/ month for “Unlimited Data”, that is unless you are deemed a worthy corporate client that is lucky enough to get a $45/month bill for the supposed same “Unlimited Data” (AT&T claims this is needed for use with Exchange, anyone who actually uses Exchange knows this is completely bogus).
What are the alternatives? Sure Verizon has a more reliable network (CDMA is a great technology, just not really adopted globally). Sprint is cutting it’s own legs off at the thigh trying to get customers with their Unlimited Everything package for $100/month. But is there anything better?
Soon there very well may be.
If you remember the whole switch to digital hoopla that had a very small chance to effect you if you are reading this blog, then you might also remember Google pushing the United States government to condone “white space devices”. Thesy would use the leftover gaps between the new more efficient digital spectrum and the now sold off analog television spectrum. These devices (as proposed) would have very few limitations on their capabilities and would treat their supporting network as dumb data hubs instead instead of the traditional cellular model where different types of traffic are parsed out for reasons that used to be necessary for the networks to operate. This fragmentation is now just necessary for the networks to gouge you each and every month by “diversifying” their pipes and charging for services independently.
So why would Google push for more open devices? Sure they attribute more devices to more search traffic, but what is the bigger picture for them? It is becoming quite evident that within the next few years, the mobile computing device will greatly displace the PC market as a whole except for a fraction of the market that will continue to demand high end hardware. As Americans we vie for mobility (more than we can say about working out), and expect access to information everywhere; not to mention instantly.
With Google offering their Google Voice solution as the one ring to rule all audio communications channels, and Google Wave to offer the first truly disruptive communications platform in over a decade, white space devices could stand to really burst open some interesting territory. People often don’t remember that in years past Google has also been buying up what is known as “dark fiber” which is essentially laid, but unused fiber that could enhance or even run a network (isp etc.). Google is estimated at owning over $2 Billion in dark fiber, but there intentions for such an investment are still unclear.
The real question here is, now with government sanction on white space devices; who will step up and start producing the actual products, how can they scale globally, and what mobile operating systems will support them beyond the Android platform.
How do you think these white space devices will effect the monolithic telecoms? And how do you think handset manufacturers, software developers, and consumers will handle this new frontier? As of right now, the only alternative (read: WiMax) is being driven by Sprint and Clearwire and the project has lost the financial support of it’s biggest layers (Intel for one). Are open standards really at a place to gain market share?
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Last 2 paragraphs raise interesting questions. I don’t think WS is official yet until the FCC rules on reconsideration(s). This may have caused TVBD development to go dormant until clear rules are established. Don’t forget, Google big investor in WiMax along w/ various cable congloms for ass-covering insurance.
Unlicensed (public) spectrum and open standards will convene depending on the specific FCC power and interference protection rules for WS, should reconsideration favor WS.
A prediction that if the FCC WS final rules are set to take advantage of the superior signal properties in the TV Band, then the technology will emerge by default.
Look for more public coverage as we get to the fall.