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January 28, 2011

FCC Chooses Google as One of Nine Administrators for Super WiFi

For years now, industry leaders have been trying to turn the unused white space of wireless airwaves into “Super WiFi,” and as of Wednesday, this concept is closer to becoming a reality.

Google announced on its blog Thursday, “Today we’re one step closer to a world with “super Wi-Fi.” In an order released yesterday afternoon, the FCC conditionally designated nine companies, including Google, as administrators for a white spaces database and outlined some important ground rules for its operation.”

According to Information Week, for years, Google has been backing the use of the spectrum between the frequencies used for television broadcasts as a way to deliver affordable high-speed wireless broadband, an interest reflected in related initiatives like the Google Fiber project. So it only made sense for Google to be one of the nine companies that the FCC chose to be an administrator.

In the past, TV broadcasters have argued that utilizing the unused white spaces could create problems with their transmissions, however, that debate was put to rest last September when the Federal Communications Commission approved the use of the vacant airwaves for what it called “super Wi-Fi technologies.”

In the coming weeks, the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology will work with the designated database administrators, including real-world testing to ensure that databases provide accurate results.

This announcement comes at a perfect time since ITEXPO East 2011 is right around the corner. TMC CEO, Rich Tehrani blogged that he is surprised that he is only aware of one Super WiFi event since one would imagine a slew of conferences to keep pace with the inflated expectations. Next week collocated with ITEXPO is the world’s first Super WiFi Summit. TMC has partnered with Carl Ford and the Crossfire Media to host the conference.

Want to learn more about the push to Super WiFi? Then be sure to attend the Super WiFi Summit collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. The Super WiFi Summit provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the wireless ecosystem and the transition to Super WiFi. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. To register, click here. And don’t forget to follow the ITEXPO pages on Facebook& Twitter for all the latest updates on the show!


Stefanie Mosca is a Web editor for MobilityTechzone. Previously she worked as a freelance copy editor for Digital Surgeons LLC. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.



Edited by Stefanie Mosca


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