Adaptrum Unveils FCC Certified 'Super Wi-Fi Solution, ACRS 1.0 TV White Space System

The Federal Communications Commission has given its nod of approval to Adaptrum's television white space equipment, to harness the 'super Wi-Fi' spectrum, left vacant after the shift from analogue to digital TV. 

The FCC certified ACRS 1.0 TV white space system has been sanctioned for the complete UHF TV band (Channel 14 to 51, from 470 MHz to 698 MHz) and approved for a radiated output power close to 4 W EIRP (with more than 0.5 W conducted output power and up to 10 dBi antenna gain.).

Those unfamiliar with the FCC certified "Super Wi-Fi" solution should know the ACRS 1.0 system is manufactured upon Adaptrum's advanced cognitive radio technology with an Adaptive OFDM engine. The solution has been designed to ensure flexibility and versatility, along with augmented (throughput/range) performance and interference resilience.

The ACRS 1.0 system also includes an output signal that meets the strict FCC TV band device emission requirements, and maintains an optimum level of channel spectrum efficiency (> 5.5 MHz/6MHz).

Adaptrum also announced its collaboration with Stratcom and Telcordia, entailing a launch of a commercial TV white space trial in the rural county of Nottoway, Virginia. The trial seeks to deliver high-speed wireless broadband service to underserved areas in Nottoway County, and caters exclusively to rural schools and households.

The trial will use ACRS 1.0 system, together with Telcordia TV white space database. Stratcom is the local partner representing the County and State. A total of 20 sites, including 3 base station sites and 17 client sites, are planned and most will focus on education-related applications, according to Adaptrum.

Interestingly, the ACRS 1.0 system has a feature set that makes it FCC Part 15 Subpart H rules-compliant, but it still has been devised and executed using commercial, off-the-shelf RF and digital components that are not optimized for cost, integration and mass production. 

Thus, the company plans to unveil a second-generation TV white space system in late 2012 that will incorporate Telcordia white space database. The company is also quick to point out their ACRS 1.0 system solution will be produced and offered in limited quantities to interested parties for customer testing and trials.