The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of America has announced it will unlock a new super fast technology called “Super Wi-Fi”.
The commission is to free up vacant airwaves between TV channels known as “white spaces” to unleash a host of new technologies and “myriad other diverse applications” – one of these being Super Wi-Fi.
Super Wi-Fi enables wireless internet to travel greater distances by using lower-frequency white spaces found between TV channel frequencies.
The FCC described it as “the first significant block of spectrum made available for unlicensed use in more than 20 years”.
Better performance
By unlocking the white spaces that exist between digital TV channels, namely 50MHz and 700MHz frequencies, it enables Wi-Fi to perform better.
“Unlocking this valuable spectrum will open the doors for new industries to arise, create American jobs, and fuel new investment and innovation,” the FCC said.
Although there are concerns that “Super Wi-Fi” would interfere with television broadcasts and wireless microphones, the use of these white spaces presents the opportunity for ingenuity, according to the commission.
Demand is high for the white space spectrum because its signals can travel through walls and are far reaching – making it ideally suited for mobile wireless devices. It has been hotly sought after by companies like Google and Microsoft, as it would enable the provision of faster and better services.
Super Wi-Fi is expected to generate speeds that are 15 times faster than current Wi-Fi technologies.
