Communications regulator Ofcom has started testing white space technology in the UK which will use the gaps in radio spectrum that exist between frequency bands.
The tests will be conducted over the next six months in collaboration with about 20 major IT giants including Microsoft, Google and BT.
As part of the trial, the communications regulator will test new applications ranging from sensors, to dynamic information for road users and rural broadband in network deficit places.
The new services will use the leftover bandwidths called white spaces that lie between frequency band spectrum used to broadcast digital terrestrial TV.
White space devices are expected to use the free spaces when they are vacant based on their locations in order to reduce the risk of interference with existing users.
According to the company, the White space technology offers better use of the spectrum that supports all wireless technology.
The UK communications watchdog claims that white space technology will help in meeting spectrum capacity shortages for mobile communications, which is said to be scarce.
As part of the the trial BT and Neul will work with the UK Department for Transport to test the potential enhancement of traffic information as part of a wider project along the A14 between Felixstowe and Cambridge.
White space technology will be used in the project to transmit data on traffic congestion and varying traffic conditions to vehicles, the technology is designed to improve information to drivers and could reduce congestion and even improve road safety.
In the UK, about half of all adults own a smartphone and one in four households have a tablet computer, which has added to the existing demand for more data capacity.
The use of white space is expected to address the growing demand by supporting 50 billion devices to be connected wirelessly to the internet by 2020.
Ofcom chief technology officer Steve Unger said that spectrum is the raw material that will underpin the next revolution in wireless communications.
"In the future it won’t be just mobiles and tablets that are connected to the internet; billions of other things including cars, crops, coffee machines and cardiac monitors will also be connected, using tiny slivers of spectrum to get online," Unger said.
"This is likely to deliver large benefits to society; however there isn’t an unlimited supply of spectrum to meet this extraordinary demand. This is why we need to explore new ways of unlocking the potential of spectrum – like white space technology – to get the most from this valuable national resource."
Microsoft will test how white spaces can be used to offer access to free Wi-Fi in Glasgow, which has the lowest level of broadband among all UK cities.
The company will work with the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for White Space Communications to use white spaces to link a network of sensors around Glasgow to create a ‘smart city’.
Internet service provider, Click4internet will use white spaces to test rural broadband in places which are hard to reach and in places with challenging topography.
Companies like Google, Nominet, LS telcom, iconectiv, Key Bridge, Fairspectrum and Spectrum Bridge have agreed to test intelligent databases that ensure white spaces can be used without causing harmful interference to other devices.
Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said access to spectrum is fundamental to the future success of the UK’s digital economy, providing the infrastructure that underpins all wireless communications.
"The upcoming white space pilot is a very exciting development, which has attracted an impressive line-up of participants, ranging from global tech giants to innovative UK start-ups. This is an excellent opportunity for the UK to help lead in the world of spectrum and one that could deliver huge benefits to society,"Richards said.
