(Image courtesy of Real Wireless)

A new analysis of the TV white space industry predicts that the TV white space sector could be “worth as much as $1.2 billion by 2017, as long as a supportive regulatory environment exists for using the spectrum effectively.

Huge growth to the wireless broadband industry will occur over the next five years—as long as regulations allow broadband and machine-to-machine (M2M) devices to use the spectrum harmoniously, according to “White Space Devices: Market and Technology, Risks and Opportunity,” a comprehensive report that aims to assist regulators in making rules to facilitate worldwide adoption of this new technology.

The report from UK-based companies Real Wireless and Rethink Technologies takes a look at the benefits and risks associated with TV white space technology.

The key advantages of the white spaces are “the dynamic way in which they are being harnessed and the low cost of their unlicensed state,” notes Simon Saunders, Director of Technology for Real Wireless.

In addition to advantages, the report also identifies key risk factors in the development of the technology that, if addressed through a strong commercial framework, would help build a multibillion dollar industry.

Primary among these risks, the reports states, is effective spectrum sharing, specifically protecting “the quality of service for anchor users, while maintaining the open nature of the spectrum.” Other factors include “delays in opening the spectrum round the world; a fragmented regulatory environment; [and] device and chip costs,” the report states.

The report discusses Carlson's RuralConnect TV white space radio, the world's first commercially viable broadband device that effectively harnesses the potential of this innovative technology, which reuses TV spectrum for broadband.

For more information about the report, contact Saunders at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it