This is a power point presentation by Luzango MFUPE at the IST Africa 2012 in Dar es salaam Tanzania for the paper titled TV White Spaces for Wireless Broadband in Rural Areas: the regulator, broadcaster and telecommunication(s) operator viewpoint.

1. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
TV White Spaces for Wireless Broadband in Rural
Areas: the regulator, broadcaster and operator
viewpoint
Luzango Mfupe, Mjumo Mzyece,Tshwane Univ. of Technology
Fisseha Mekuria, CSIR Meraka Institute
South Africa

2. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Motivation, Problem Area
Digital Divide is a Policy Issue (WEF, 2012)
 TZ and RSA ranked 123rd and 72nd in a global networked readiness index
 Archaic static spectrum allocation schemes are inefficient
Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM)
 Dynamic spectrum access (DSA)-based technologies have a potential to
bridge the digital divide through opportunistic spectrum sharing (i.e.,
space, time and frequency)
 Television White Spaces (TVWS) is just one such opportunity
 Current research on DSA tends to focus on developed countries
and is not directly relevant to developing region contexts

3. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Research Objectives
Investigate/Identify/Compare/Propose most
appropriate DSM approach for providing wireless
broadband over TVWS
Rural areas contextual constraints include but not limited:
 Lack of or no reliable electricity grid
 Large geo areas with sparsely spread pop often from low income
brackets
 Costly tradional fixed-wireline and wireless infrastracture

4. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Research Approach, Methodology
Review spectrum
policies/
standards/technologi
es
Primary and
secondary research
Quantify the TVWS
availability
Spectrum
audit/measurement
campaign(s)
Modelling Define technical
metrics for DSA
policy
Analysis/compare Construct geo-
location database
simulate, perform
real life experiments
Evaluate Monitor splatter,
spectral utilization
efficiency, economic
efficiency
Different methods of calc:
FCC uses contours/vectors
Ofcom uses pixelations

5. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Major Contribution(s)
Proposed DSA policy will lead to reduced
Cost of ICT and bridge the digital divide

6. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Telecommunications Operator’s View
 Geo-location DB driven TVWS network
 Bridged (TVWS -> Wi-Fi) APs

7. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Benefits to Television Broadcaster
Signal coordination: (Opportunity for $)
Allow, disallow rule (Trusted/Untrusted operator(s))

8. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
Conclusion and Outlook
Big potential exist to provide wireless
broadband over TVWS in rural areas
Open issues still to be resolved:
 How to define technical metrics for DSA policies?
 How to protect incumbent licence-holders and public safety
services from potential harmful interference?
 How to enforce DSA policies?
 How to define metrics for dynamic secondary spectrum
trading

9. Session <No 7f>, <10/05/2012> May 2012 IST-Africa 2012 Copyright 2012 <ICSIR & TUT>
References
World Economic Forum (WEF) and INSEAD,
“The Global Information Technology Report:
Living in a Hyper connected World”, Geneva,
Switzerland, March 2012.
Comments and Questions…
Thank you!