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What with the buzz around the FCCs auction rules on the upcoming 700 MHz sale few noticed the Commissions geek squad also flew its Kitty Hawk into white spaces between TV broadcast spectrum bands that same July. The test flight wasnt spectacular or anything but like the Wright brothers bird it quietly made history.

While the FCC commissioners were lining up to announce final edicts on managing the 700 MHz auction, their Office of Engineering and Technology made its own announcement on initial testing results for a couple of prototype devices that might be used in television white spaces. Looking beyond the Google ?Verizon squabble that took center stage in the auction related media coverage the second announcement was the more important one as it charts a course outside the box to decide where we go once these auctions have played out. The FCC hoped these tests would lead to white spaces (unused by TV broadcasters) being made available for unlicensed use by opportunistic (cognitive radio) devices that would sense when frequencies were in use by television or other signals. Two prototypes were tested one from Microsoft and the other by a consortium lead by Philips Electronics. Things didnt go too well and the FCC concluded the devices werent sensitive enough. But then the Kitty Hawk just flew 12 seconds on its first flight.

To understand the logic behind cognitive radio (CR) lets stay with the airplane analogy a bit. As things stand today we treat radio spectrum like real estate parceling bands off to licensees for their exclusive use as operators. Such allocation was fine in the good old days but now wears thin in the face of an overwhelming demand for radio space by contending applications. However radios keep getting smarter and its time we began treating spectrum like the skies where theres no technical reason why an airplane cant fly amidst congested air traffic as long as navigational rules are followed.

The funny thing is that the perceived spectral congestion is more a function of our inefficient method of parsing bandwidth to licensees than due to any real irresolvable contention. Measurements carried out by the IEEE on frequency bands below 3 GHZ conducted from January 2004 to August 2005 showed that only about 5.2% of the spectrum was actually in use in the US in any given location and at any given time. Even more interesting was the revelation that heavy spectrum utilization often takes place in unlicensed bands while licensed bands often experience low (e.g. TV bands) or medium (e.g. some cellular bands) utilization. Its safe to say these American studies on spectrum utilization may also hold true in other countries. The results should resonate especially so in countries like India where the whole matter of allocating spectrum is increasingly fraught with a liberalizing Regulator, a truculent cellular lobby and nonplussed government officials drawing battle lines.

These alarming measurements suggesting spectrum under-utilization in the midst of a perceived scarcity coupled with recent advances in radio technology prompted the FCC to test CR and see whether base stations and Customer Equipment (CPEs) could competently connect and stay within unused white bands in spectrum allocated to TV broadcast.

There was some patronizing smugness at the cellular establishment with the sub-par performance but its a nascent technology and can only improve. Lets pray it does because selling off chunks of spectrum doesnt work anymore for anyone other than the cellular operators. Todays artificial scarcity impacts a more universal telecommunications service deployment, especially broadband. Education, health care, communications, public safety and leisure are all casualties.

For those not blinkered there appears little choice but to gradually do away with reserving spectrum and instead have service providers deploy equipment with radio characteristics adaptive to the real-time conditions of the environment, which is what cognitive or adaptive radio is all about.

When mastered, CR technology would utilize the large amount of spectrum lying unused in reserved lots while not interfering with other incumbent devices in these frequency bands already licensed for specific uses. Folks, this is huge. Globally. In its September 2007 recommendations on spectrum allocation & pricing the Indian regulator (TRAI) mentions eventually doing away with licensed spectrum management in favor of well defined rules of interaction once cognitive radio becomes real. The TRAI uses ocean lanes to make the point I made earlier with air traffic but I wont quibble because the message clearly comes across. CR is happening.

More so because IEEE, the folks who brought you WiFi and WiMax, has announced work on CR type air interface under the 802.22 group of standards. It beats cellular & WiMax on range because this specific air interface standard works in ?or rather in between - the VHF & UHF portions of the radio spectrum allotted to TV broadcast. This end of the spectrum has better propagation characteristics than the upper bands allotted to cellular, WiMax or WiFi and hence the impressive range.

The reason for focus at the lower end of the spectrum is primarily because the broadcasters are about to release these bands (the reason for the auction) as they go digital. The FCC can therefore play around here far easier than anywhere close to the cellular establishments spectral property. But unless you fervently believe in the tooth fairy, know that for CR technology to worm its way and eventually squat on unused cellular real estate is only a matter of time.

The computer has altered in modern life beyond our wildest imaginations. Well, I guess I should actually say the PC and Mac. But were really splitting hairs there, either one of these is offering you a fantastic service. Since the mid-nineties, many of us have become accustomed to the home computer. More than likely we have started out with those large bulky desktop units with giant TV like monitors, but an evolution has certainly taken hold. The same can be said about our Internet service. Now a days with high-speed Internet connections we hardly remember those painfully slow dial-up days. It is now the era of cable high speed Internet.

Are you currently using a high-speed Internet service? Are you a fan of DSL or cable high speed Internet? These are common questions recently. This field is very competitive and great deals are to be had. The basic questions to ask are you offering and how much will it cost me? That sounds about right doesn't it? Oh and of course reliability is always a factor. Of course we all want cable high speed Internet, but we don't want a fat bill at the end of each month. Being a fan of cable high speed Internet myself, I have certainly tried my share of services. I first tried a brand called Roadrunner and found that it performed quite adequately. Then, because I moved across the country, I gave Comcast cable high speed Internet a shot. I had no complaints with their service overall.

More recently I relocated again. This time I had no choice but to give the local cable high speed Internet service a shot. I'm sorry to say that it didn't work out too well. While the service worked fine most of the time, the prices were higher than what I had previously experienced and a little bit more than I wanted to pay. This is never good! Shortly after acquiring this new service, I made the decision to go back to Roadrunner, which essentially provided the same service but at a lower cost.

Do you use dial-up? I hope not because I know how slow and unreliable those connections can be. Dial-up is certainly a concept of the previous millennium. And don't you hate that nasty sound when the modem is connecting to the Internet? You could be enjoying cable high speed Internet at a reasonable price? If you have yet to try cable high speed Internet, then I strongly suggest that you check it out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the affordable rates that are offered. While some people like to save a few bucks and go with DSL, I don't really recommend it.

I'm on the Internet quite a bit for both work and home use and I have found that there is absolutely no substitute to the speed and quality of service offered by cable high-speed Internet. The whole buzz of technology has worn off, and cable high speed Internet should become the standard bearer for every household so check it out and see for yourself.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning internet. Get more information by visiting Cable High-Speed Internet