As we have all learned, valuable resources can quickly become scarce. Whether we are talking about water or petroleum or radio waves, the scarcer something becomes, the more valuable it is. And, speaking of radio waves, one of the rarest commodities on the market today is spectrum. This is one reason why white spaces and “Super Wi-Fi” are such important topics.
The term “Super Wi-Fi,” which is unrelated to traditional Wi-Fi, is a term referring to a proposal by the FCC to auction off white space, or frequencies between television channels. According to Carl Ford of Crossfire Media, this creates opportunities associated with both the spectrum auction and the management of that spectrum via databases.
Ford, however, cautions that one key concern in this area is the handoff between Wi-Fi and Super Wi-Fi. The handoff ranges and speeds must continue to improve, he said, and backhaul concerns should be addressed as well. Many companies are involved in this space, offering solutions to help companies manage the auctions and deal with some of the issues that Ford mentioned above.
For parties that are interested in this topic, there will be an event dedicated to Super Wi-Fi early next year. The 2013 Super Wi-Fi Summit, to be held from January 30 to February 1 in Miami, Florida, will bring together industry leaders to discuss opportunities, challenges and technical issues surrounding the use of this unlicensed spectrum. For more information on the conference and a schedule of associated events, click here.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman 
QUICK LINKS 
