Old TV frequencies can be turned into free 'super WiFi'

Image
Press Trust of India Berlin
Last Updated : Nov 26 2014 | 5:45 PM IST
Old television frequencies can be used to create free-to-use, wide-range WiFi, scientists say.
Old television frequencies are becoming available for other uses around the world due to a switch from analogue to digital transmission.
Scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany suggest that governments should sack plans to auction off old television frequencies to the highest bidder - usually mobile phone networks - and instead use the bandwidth for free super-frequency WiFi.
This new 'super WiFi' would have a far wider range than existing WiFi networks, which are mostly transmitted over wireless local area networks (WLAN) at frequencies of 2GHz or above, 'Factor' reported.
WiFi transmitted over old TV frequencies could be transmitted at lower frequencies than traditional WiFi, resulting in a far wider area covered.
"Implementation of our approach would have far-reaching consequences. Individuals, institutions, and companies would be far less dependent on expensive mobile communications networks in conducting their digital communication. This would also be of great economic benefit," said Arnd Weber of the Institute for technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at KIT.
Weber and his colleague Jens Elsner propose discussing their approach at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) next year.
WRC decides on the use of radio frequencies at the global level.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 26 2014 | 5:45 PM IST

Next Story