Standards Process For BWIA Use Of Television Spectrum Gets Underway

An article from Rethink Research - IEEE Starts Cognitive Radio Work That Could Spark Radio Revolution offers an excellent summary of the work to be done on 802.22, a new IEEE working group chartered with developing BWIA technologies specifically for the broadcast television spectrum, especially the USA's near contiguous 330 MHz swath from 470 MHz (television channel 14) to 806 MHz (television channel 69).

Current BWIA systems can’t be used in this spectrum because they don’t incorporate “cognitive radio” automatic non-interference functions that should prevent interference to broadcast television, which will continue (according to the television broadcasters) in channels 2-51 and, for a time, “legacy” operations in channels 52-69. Rethink offers some particularly illuminating insight into the tensions between 802.16 and the closely associated WiMAX Forum and 802.22. This despite the fact that the non-interference functions and the spectrum in question was not part of the 802.16 specification (currently 802.16-2004)… and WiMAX having its hands VERY full in trying to get WiMAX hardware out the door, fully interoperable, and obtaining traction in the marketplace.

(My thanks to dailywireless.org for the pointer to this story.)

Steve Stroh

Copyright © Steve Stroh 2004. This article originally appeared on Corante / Broadband Wireless Internet Access.