The New White Spaces Database: ENUM / DNS or Something Completely Different?

Up to 90% of the spectrum in the US is unused or under utilized at any given time The issue is a lack of “fungability” for spectrum and lack of flexibility of access and allocation A Cognitive Network solution employing a database to manage availability, access and possibly priority is the way to resolve this TV White Space is the tip of the iceberg in terms of this concept So while TVWS is similar to a DNS solution today but the Cognitive network is more like a commodity exchange Spectrum Shortage is Artificially created

The industry expects a model similar to DNS Multiple Database Providers promote competition and innovation The industry supports the database through one time registration fees rather than per transaction Likely paid by the device manufacturer rather than the end user Value added services add to the Database Service Provider revenue potential The White Space Database model

TV White Space is a fairly simple instantiation of the concept Once frequency agile radios are able to interact with a database a lot of new capability becomes available Priority Access – how DOD and commercial interests co-exist Geographic variations – flexibility of rules, different for rural v urban, TOD Mix and match licensed and unlicensed spectrum – revenue/liquidity for underused assets Real time flexibility – opportunistic access Short term rentals of spectrum access – spectrum rights by the day, hour, minute Spectrum rights available to non traditional entities - MVNO What a Database enables?

The current concept of Cognitive radio is out of touch with the pace of Technology SBI already leveraging GPS, Compass, Accelerometer, processing power and memory available in any COTS Smart Phone Current Smart Phones are Penta-band devices in tiny low cost form factors, soon to be Hexa and Hepta-band devices with inclusion of LTE and TVWS When Integrated with the Database/Intelligence in the cloud the real fun begins The Edge Device is much more than a spectrum sensor – incorporating the context of where the user is and what they are doing. Already capable of improving bandwidth and reducing battery consumption using the knowledge from the current generation of Smart Phones Cognitive Networks not Cognitive Radios

Review of FCC and NTIA bands shows potentially 500MHz worth of spectrum that could be managed similar to TV White Space Spectrum Bridge already supports a similar model for 5GHz UNII A Database can manage access to licensed and unlicensed spectrum accordingly This means rather than a one time Auction Spectrum use can be paid for only when used Perceptions about spectrum ownership/hoarding and use change when there is an open market place and ready access to spectrum supply. Thus spectrum gets used in the most economically valuable way – which is in everyone’s best interest. A spot market for Spectrum – similar to the commodities exchanges Impact beyond TV White Space

Be Careful What You wish For!

Peter Stanforth, CTO Thank you,