“Mobile operators need more spectrum and fast,” says Heavy Reading research analyst Tim Kridel.

Is TV white space a good option? A new report from Heavy Reading identifies the key technology and business issues with using white space for mobile broadband service.

“TV White Space Spectrum for LTE: It's Free, but Not Cheap” is the latest report from Heavy Reading, an independent research organization in Cambridge, Mass.

According to the report, TV white space (TVWS) offers much-needed spectrum for mobile broadband services like LTE self-organizing networks (SONs) and machine-to-machine (M2M).

Carlson developed its TV white space device, RuralConnect, especially for wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) to provide broadband access to rural residents and businesses in hard-to-reach areas.

But the technology has much broader implications, as the Heavy Reading report indicates.

The report analyzes TV white-space technology as an option to relieving the spectrum crunch for mobile networks. The findings show that TVWS is an excellent option for mobile network operators, based on its performance in field and lab tests, including Carlson’s own trials.

The next step for mobile operators wishing to adopt the technology, according to the report, is investment in widespread infrastructure to support it.  

Carlson was pleased to contribute to this report, whose key findings include:
•    Mobile operators could use TVWS channels as part of their LTE aggregation.
•    TVWS as a cellular offload option requires an operator mindset change.

For more information about “TV White Space Spectrum for LTE: It's Free, but Not Cheap” visit www.heavyreading.com/4glte. For more of analyst Tom Kridel's take on the subject of TVWS, read "White Space: Niche Play or the Next Big Thing?" at Light Reading, a research-based telecom news medium.