Super Wi-Fi - What to do with White Spaces in SA

Super Wi-Fi
What to do with the Digital Dividend

Henk Kleynhans
WAPA
www.wapa.org.za
henk@wapa.org.za
Sunday 10 April 2011

The Problem
• High Bandwidth Costs
• Low service penetration
• Need for ICT to become enabler of
national competitiveness & economic
growth
• Overall need to create employment
opportunities


Solution?


In September 2010
the FCC released
between 400 & 800 MHz
of Sub-900MHz
TV White Spaces
as Unlicenced Frequency
in the USA


The FCC chairman
calls it:


Super Wi-Fi


"Years ago, there was a band of low-quality spectrum that was lying fallow. Nobody could
ﬁgure out what to do with this so-called “junk band,” so the FCC decided to free it up as
unlicensed spectrum.

The result was a wave of new technologies – baby monitors, cordless phones, and eventually
a real game changer: Wi-Fi.

Today, Wi-Fi is a multi-billion industry and an essential part of the mobile ecosystem."

Here’s what he said:


“Years ago, there was a band of
low-quality spectrum
that was
lying fallow.

"Years ago, there was a band of low-quality spectrum that was lying fallow. Nobody could ﬁgure out what to do with this so-called “junk band,” so the FCC
decided to free it up as unlicensed spectrum.

Nobody could ﬁgure out what to do with
this so called
“junk band”
so the FCC decided to free it up as
unlicenced
spectrum.

"Years ago, there was a band of low-quality spectrum that was lying fallow. Nobody could ﬁgure out what to do with this so-called “junk band,” so the FCC
decided to free it up as unlicensed spectrum.

The result was a
wave
of new technologies -
baby monitors, cordless phones,
and eventually a real game changer:

Wi-Fi

The result was a wave of new technologies – baby monitors, cordless phones, and eventually a real game changer: Wi-Fi.

Today, Wi-Fi is a multi-billion dollar industry and an essential part of the mobile ecosystem."

Today, Wi-Fi is a
multi-billion dollar industry
and an essential part of the
mobile ecosystem”

The result was a wave of new technologies – baby monitors, cordless phones, and eventually a real game changer: Wi-Fi.

Today, Wi-Fi is a multi-billion dollar industry and an essential part of the mobile ecosystem."

He goes on to say:

“One last point. Todayʼs Order is important not only for the innovation, investment and economic beneﬁt it will unleash, but because of the competitive edge
it will offer.

“One last point. Today’s Order is
important not only for the
innovation,
investment and
economic beneﬁt
it will unleash,

it will offer.

but because of the
competitive edge
it will offer.

it will offer.

U.S.
companies have already invested in
research &
development of
Super Wi-Fi
technologies.

U.S. companies have already invested in research and development of super Wi-Fi
technologies. Now they can take this technology out of the labs and onto the market.

Now they can take this technology
out of the labs
and
onto the market.

U.S. companies have already invested in research and development of super Wi-Fi
technologies. Now they can take this technology out of the labs and onto the market.

Other countries
have been looking at
Super Wi-Fi.
By giving the green light now,
the United States
will be the
ﬁrst nation
to deploy this technology

Other countries have been looking at Super Wi-Fi. By giving the green light now, the
United States will be the ﬁrst nation to deploy this technology.

We can have the investment here,
the intellectual property developed here
and the products launched here, and then
export our products globally

We can have the investment here, the intellectual property developed here and the products launched here, and then export our products globally – all
contributing to U.S. job creation and economic growth.”

all contributing to
U.S. job creation
and
economic growth”

- Julius Genachowski
FCC Chairman
September 2010
We can have the investment here, the intellectual property developed here and the products launched here, and then export our products globally – all
contributing to U.S. job creation and economic growth.”

Why is
South Africa
not leading the way?


I am
Henk



I’m here as the chairperson of ...

WAPA
=
Wireless
Access
Providers
Association


WAPA stands for Wireless Access Providers Association

a collection of
independent wireless operators
in South Africa.

(±100 members)


We’re the
Wireless Pioneers


0110010001101
0010110011101
1010010111010
0011000010110
1100001000000 Founder
1100100011010 CEO
0101110110011
0100101100100
0110010101101
11001100100


We’re the ones moving bits of data across difficult, unknown and often treacherous terrain

• True National Reach (Mostly Rural)
• Strong Local Relationships
• Technical Skills
• ECNS & ECS licenced


We have...


Wireless Access is not just about internet access!

Community Owned Telecoms Networks
(using Mesh Potatoes!)


Wireless pioneers build rural community telecommunications networks (see
www.villagetelco.org)

Emergency Relief Networks

Picture of long distance Link


We connect people to each other and the world during times emergencies

Countless schools!


Countless schools have been connected to each other and the internet by WISPs. More
affordable, higher speeds, free VoIP with each other...

Rugby Sevens Tournament


Computicket set up a temporary office to sell tickets to the Sevens Tournament in George. 3G
too slow/unreliable and ADSL would take weeks to install.

Up the Creek Music Festival


Up the Creek Music festival, remote area, Wi-Fi the only way.
Now, the festival goers might not need internet access, but there is media, band managers
etc that are pretty dependent on it.

Billabong Pro Surﬁng World
Contest

text


Billabong J-Bay Surf Contest was streamed across the world from a beach several kilometers
from the nearest town.


One member set up a 20 km wireless link so that a terminally ill family member could attend
the wedding via Skype!

text


Lake Smit Radiology Partners in Durban had to move CAT scans to consulting radiologists
working remotely in under 10 minutes.

1 GB ﬁle
in less than
2 minutes


With a Wi-Fi network, they could move it in under 2 minutes to any of a dozen locations, the
furthest being 23 km apart.

But...


It’s getting
crowded!


•Wi-Fi Hotspots
•Long range Wi-Fi
•Cordless phones
•Baby Monitors
• Cheap wireless
CCTV


Wi-Fi uses 2.4 GHz band, which is shared with other technologies that don’t adhere to the
same rules or protocols.

Traditionally,
2 types of
spectrum management


Licenced & Unlicenced


(Kind of) worked
50 years ago


grossly inefﬁcient1

1Kolodzy(2002) - FCC Spectrum Policy Task Force

On the one hand...


Unlicenced, Unmanaged
2.4 & 5.8 GHz


Spectrum Commons

(“tragedy of the commons”1)

1Garrett Hardin(1968)
2.4 & 5.8 ISM bands are completely unlicenced with little to no rules to prevent interference. Garrett Hardin talks about a “tragedy of the commons”. He asserts that even
though the contribution of each "bad actor" may be minute, if summed over all bad actors the resource could be degraded to the point of uselessness

•Wi-Fi Hotspots
•Long range Wi-Fi
•Cordless phones
•Baby Monitors
• Cheap wireless
CCTV


And there are many “bad actors!”

On the other hand...


Spectrum Property Rights Model


A single company


A single company gets the nationwide, exclusive use of of a frequency band

Nationwide,
Exclusive Use


A single company gets the nationwide, exclusive use of of a frequency band

The result?


Huh?


Complete underutilization and underserved areas. “So dry even the radio stations dry up”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

- FCC (in response to Ronald Coase,
Nobel Economist)


When Ronald Coase ﬁrst presented his vision (of auctioning off spectrum property rights) to
the FCC,they asked:

FAQ 1:
But what about
spectrum scarcity?


It’s artiﬁcial


ICASA audits


450 - 470 MHz

Huh?


Note that less than 1% of the 450 - 470 MHz band is used by licencees.

790 - 862 MHz (Digital Dividend)

Huh?


A small mistake here. The total % usage should be 480/34560 = 1.4%. (Note that this is in
urban areas, expect it to be less in rural areas)

FAQ 2:
But what about
“Use-it-or-lose-it”
policies?


They will not work!


Example Requirement 1:
“Must cover 50% of the population in 2 years”


From the 2.6 GHz ITA in 2010.

Example Requirement 2:
“Must achieve 50% of all requirements”


Ahah!
So I only need to achieve
50% goal
of
50% coverage area
=
25%


66% of Gauteng
+
Cape Town
+
Durban
=
28% of population


“Use-it-or-lose-it” policies
only exist because the
underlying system
is broken


What we know...
• Existing model is grossly inefﬁcient
• Unlicenced (2.4, 5.8 GHz) frequencies are
overcrowded

• Spectrum Scarcity is a ARTIFICIAL
• Stopgaps (Leasing, Universal Service
Contributions, Use-it-or-lose-it policies)
won’t work (but may help)


So what do we do?


Licenced Unlicenced

Managed Unmanaged

Underutilized Overutilized

Unlicenced
MANAGED!
Balanced Use


But How?


LOTS of ways!

• Light Licencing
• Self-Regulation
• Light “touch” licencing
• 802.11y in the US
• etc


Many different ways are already being used around the world.

One model stands out:


FCC made
TV White Spaces
available
on unlicenced basis...


But
Managed,
Database Driven
basis!


Sub 900 MHz


400 - 800 MHz
available!


Really Beautiful Spectrum


“Super Wi-Fi”


How does it work?


1. AP checks online database


2. Must avoid
1st adjacent channel


This is in the case of there being a TV broadcaster in that channel. TVWS devices could be
able to share the same channels.

3. Registers
location
in DB


50 channels available


This is
NOT
1st come
1st serve


More like:
“1st 50 come
1st 50 serve!”


Possibly even more than 50, depending on the evolution of TVWS technology.

that’s just one hilltop!


Forget a
“Use-it-or-lose-it”
policy

What Africa needs is a:


Walala Wasala!*
policy

*You snooze you lose!

The ﬁrst providers to use these frequencies, should be the ones who beneﬁt.

When?


Equipment already
available


9 Online TVWS
Databases imminent
(Google one of ‘em)


Why is this great?


It’s inclusive!

Incumbents
&
Greenﬁelds


10% broadband penetration
correlates
1.3% GDP growth*

*World Bank


We’re at 3%


Reference: World Wide Worx - “Internet Access in South Africa 2010”

Current Growth:
4 years
to reach 10%

Growing at 40% pa

Why are we playing

“catch up”

when we clearly should be
leading the way?


We have 468 MHz
available 3


We have 500 licencees3


Is it enough for all?


Deﬁnitely YES!

but remember:


Walala Wasala!


In Conclusion


Managed, Unlicenced spectrum
will give a major boost to
Entrepreneurship,
Innovation &
tech skills development


This time for Africa!
- Shakira


Henk Kleynhans
henk@wapa.org.za


References

1. Economic Case for Dedicated Unlicensed Spectrum Below 3GHz -
William Lehr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2004)

2. Internet Access in South Africa - Arthur Goldstuck, World Wide Worx
(2010)

3. A Broadside Analysis of Spectrum Requirements - Dumisa Ngwenya,
ICASA (2011)


Add <World Bank Report>
<FCC Chairman statement>

Super Wi-Fi - What to do with White Spaces in SA

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