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DynamicSpectrumAlliance

BriefingPaper

May2017

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ContentsIntroductionReportSummary1.1 TheContext

1.1.1 History1.1.2 TVWSPilots1.1.3 EmergingRegulatoryFrameworks1.1.4 LessonsLearned

1.2 WhyDynamicSpectrumMatters?

1.2.1 BeatingtheSpectrumCrunch1.2.2 OpeningMarketAccessfortheUnconnected1.2.3 ChangingHowSpectrumisSoldandUsed

1.3 TheBusinessModelofDynamicSpectrumOperators

1.3.1 Mawingu(Kenya)1.3.2 C3(Malawi)1.3.3 Non-CommercialBusinessCases1.3.4 OperatorPerceptionsofBusinessCaseforTVWS

1.4 RegulatingforachangingfutureAppendixA:BackgroundDocuments,VideosandLinks

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IntroductionThisBriefingPaperfortheDynamicSpectrumAlliancesetsouttoprovideashortoverviewofthepolicy,regulatoryandcommercialargumentsabouttheuseofdynamicspectrum.IttakestheworkthathasalreadybeendoneonTVWhiteSpacesgloballyasitsstartingpointbutbroadensoutthefocustoexaminethewiderimplicationsoftheuseofdynamicspectrum.Althoughitlooksgloballyatdynamicspectrum,itexaminesAfricainsomegreaterdetail.BecauseafterNorthAmerica,AfricaiswherethemostTVWhiteSpacespilotshavetakenplaceandagreatdealofworkrelevanttoallemergingeconomieshashappenedonthecontinent.Thereportisstructuredaroundthreemainsectionsasfollows:1.1TheContext:ThissectionsummarizesthehistoryofTVWhiteSpacesbylookingat:thepilotsandtrialsthathavetakenplace;thelessonslearned;thebasisonwhichtheywerecarriedoutandtheregulatoryframeworksthathavedevelopedindifferentcountries.1.2WhyDynamicSpectrumMatters?:ThissectionslaysoutthekeyargumentsastowhyDynamicSpectrumisimportantanditsparticularrelevancetolesswelldevelopedcountries.1.3TheBusinessModelforDynamicSpectrumOperators:ThissectionlooksatthecommercialargumentsforTVWhiteSpacesandthedifferentbusinessusecasesthatitmightfit.Thereportconcludeswithasectioncalled1.4Regulatingforachangingfuturethatseekstoidentifybestpracticeforregulatingdynamicspectrumandwaysinwhichitmightaffecthowbothlicencesandspectrumareallocated.Thisreporthasbeendesignedforanyonewhoworksinthetelecoms,InternetorbroadcastsectorsorisinvolvedinGovernmentpolicyandregulation.Althoughitdealswithtechnicalissues,itisnotdesignedtogiveadetailedtechnicalreviewofanyaspectofTVWhiteSpacesandDynamicSpectrumequipment.Anappendixhasbeenprovidedthatlistsanumberofpiecesofbackgroundreadingthatmayhelpthosereaderswantingtodiveintosomeofthedetailbehindwhatispresentedinthisreport.IwouldliketothankallthosewhohavespokentomebeforeIwrotethisreportincluding:CharlesAcheampong,MalcolmBrew,PasqualeCataldi,RichardChisala,MirelaDoicu,PaulGarnett,AndyHalsall,SoniaJorge,IreneKaggwa,IraKeltz,FrankMcCosker,DanielObam,DorothyOkello,JonathanPinifolo,ThibaudRerolle,BenRoberts,WilliamStuckeRichardThankiandRichardWhitt.LastbutnotleastIwouldliketothanktheTreasureroftheDynamicSpectrumAllianceMarkRotterfor

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hissupportduringthewritingofthereport.Finally,whilstallofthecontributionsabovehavebeenenormouslyhelpful,Imusttakefinalresponsibilityforwhatiswrittenbelow.

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ReportSummary1.1 TheContext1.1.1History:TVWhiteSpaces(TVWS)cameoutofaninitiativebytheUSregulator-theFederalCommunicationsCommission-tomakebetteruseofspectrumingeneralbutofbroadcastingspectruminparticular.OncetherulesforfixedTVWhiteSpacesdeviceswereadoptedin2008,itcommissionedaseriesofprototypedevicesfromdifferentmanufacturersthatwouldbeabletooperateinthe“guardband”channelspectrumbetweenTVchannels.1.1.2TVWSPilots:TheproponentsofTVWSembarkedonastrategyofrunningpilotsandtrialsgloballytoprovethatthetechnologycouldwork.ADynamicSpectrumAlliance(DSA)paperinJanuary2016counted39pilots,eitherunderwayorcompleted.Othershavebeenaddedsincethatdate.Thethreebiggestareasforpilots(bynumberofprojects)wereremote/ruralconnectivity,educationandlibraries.ArgumentsfortheuseofTVWSweretargetedatclosingthedigitaldivideandthesewerecentraltoaprogrammethatinvolvedfinancefromGoogleandMicrosoft.1.1.3EmergingRegulatoryFrameworks:Atagloballevel,anumberofkeyregulatoryauthorities–includingtheUSA,Canada,Singapore,SouthKoreaandtheUK–haddevelopedregulatoryframeworksfortheuseofTVWhiteSpaces.InAfrica,wherealargenumberofthepilotstookplace,aroundhalfadozencountrieshavedevelopedregulatoryframeworksdesignedtoallowtheuseofTVWhiteSpacesorareintheprocessofdoingso.1.1.4 LessonsLearned:Thethreekeylessonslearnedfromthepilotsabovecanbesummarizedasfollows:thetechnologyissafeandregulatoryframeworkshaveenableduserstohavestablewaysofaccessingthespectrum;therearemorepotential“whitespaces”opportunities;andtheTVWStechnologyisbeingusedsuccessfullytoconnectun-servedorunderservedareas.1.2 WhyDynamicSpectrumMatters?Dynamicspectrumisanapproachtotheuseofspectrumthathasthepotentialtodeliversolutionstokeyissuesthataffecttheefficiencyofcommunicationsmarkets.TherearethreemainreasonswhyDynamicSpectrummatters:1.2.1 Beatingthespectrumcrunch:Asbothbroadbandcapacityanduserdemandforgreatercapacityincreases,theamountofspectrumrequiredbyoperatorswillcontinuetoincrease.Itisveryclearthatthereareagreatdealof“whitespaces”:partsofthespectrumthatareeithercompletelyunusedorareunder-used.Thereareanumberofwaysthathavebeendevisedtousethese“whitespaces”moreefficiently.Anyregulatorwantinganefficientmarkettodeliverfor

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theirconsumershasanimperativetolookathowscarcespectrummightbeshared.TVWSisaneffectivetechnologyandopensupdifferentwaysofsharingscarcespectrum.1.2Openingmarketaccessfortheunconnected:Over4billionpeopleremainunconnectedgloballyandmanyoftheseareatthebottomoftheincomepyramid.ThebusinessmodelsthathavesuccessfullyconnectedmillionsofpeopletotheInternetindevelopedeconomieswillnotworkinthesamewayinlessdevelopedeconomies.Tomeetthechallengeofservinglesswell-offpeopleglobally–particularlyinremoteandruralareas–boththecostofthecapitaltobuildthenetworkandthecostofoperatingthenetworkneedstobelowered.PotentiallyTVWSaddressestheserequirementsinanumberofdifferentways,offeringbetterreachandbuildingpenetration.IfaccesstoTVWSspectrumisunlicensed(aswith2.4GHzand5GHz)thenanymarketentrantseekingtoprovideInternettoruralorremoteareaswillnotbepayingspectrumfees.Thissavingagainstrengthensthebusinessmodelforpotentialoperatorswantingtocreatebusinessestosupplythesetypesofareas.Spectrumsharingisoneapproachthatmightunlocknewbusinessmodelapproaches.1.3Changinghowspectrumissoldandused:Adynamicspectrumapproachallowsmultipleuserstohaveaccesstothesamespectrum.TVWhiteSpacesaresimplyoneofseveralareasofwhitespacesthatexist.TVWhiteSpacesisamechanismforsharingspectrumandtheremaybeotherpartsofthespectrumbandthatlendthemselvestosharingwithdifferentusecases.Thisexploratoryworkonspectrumsharinginotherbandsdoesnotmeanoverridingtheownershiprightsofexistingspectrumholdersbutworkingincrementallytoseewhatmightbepossible.Forexample,intheUSA,dynamicdatabasesareusedinthe3.5GHzbandtocoordinateaccesstotheCitizenBroadbandRadioService(CBRS),whichisbasedonathree-tieraccesstospectrum:incumbentusers,priorityaccess,andgeneralauthorisedaccess.Alsospectrumsharingisalreadybeingdiscussedasapossibilityfor4Gand5Gatsomepointinthenottoodistantfuture.1.3TheBusinessModelofDynamicSpectrumOperatorsTVWSoffersacombinationofacoupleofkeyadvantagesthatwillhelpanoperatorbuildabusinessacase.ThecharacteristicsofTVWSspectrumallowittodoanumberofthingsthatarenoteasilyavailablethroughforexistingunlicensedspectrum.Forexample,itdoesnothavetobelineofsight,ithasasignificantreachandgoodpenetrationofbuildings.Threeareasofcommercialbusinesscaseemerge:lowincomeurbanandperi-urbanareas;lowerincometownsandsettlements,onandoffthemainroads;andoffthemainroadsettlementswithinreachofthemainroadbyTVWStechnology.With

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somelevelofsubsidy,afourthcategoryofpublicservicebusinesscasecanbeadded.1.4RegulatingforachangingfutureRegulatorsgloballyneedtolookatTVWhiteSpacesanddynamicspectrumaspartofthedevelopmentoftheirpolicyandregulatoryframework.Thereisnowaconsiderablebodyofregulatorywork–bothindevelopedanddevelopingcountries–thatprovidesusefultemplatescoveringallofthemajorissues.GloballyfutureregulationneedstoincorporateTVWhiteSpacesanddynamicspectrumapproachesforthreereasons:1.4.1 TheworkcarriedoutonTVWhiteSpaceslaysthefoundationforawideruse

ofsharedspectrum.Whilsttheremaynooverallspectrumcrunch,manycountriesmayexperiencespectrum“pinchpoints”whichmaylimittheavailabilityofincreasedbroadbandcapacity.Spectrumsharingisonewayofaddressingthisissue.

1.4.2 Dynamicspectrumoffersawayofgettingwideraccesstospectrumthrough

sharinginanenvironmentofgreaterspectrumdemands,incumbentsoperatinginvirtuallyallsoughtafterbands,andthelikelihoodofspectrumclearingbeinglow.DynamicspectrumcanalsocreatewaysofmeetingWi-Fispectrumdemandsinthemid-bandarea.

1.4.3 Forrural,remoteandunder-servedareas,TVWSspacestechnologycombinedwithsomeformofunlicensedorlowcostlicenseaccessoffersthekindofincentivesthatwillallowexistingoperatorsandnewentrantstocreatebusinessmodelsforareasthatarecurrentlyontheedgeofexistingaddressablemarkets.Thesesameincentiveswillallowmorefinanciallyefficientaccessforareaswithoutacommercialbusinesscase.

Alongsidetheseapproaches,regulators–particularlyfromdevelopingcountries–needtorethinktheapproachrequiredforthepaymentanduseofspectrum.DevelopingcountrieshavemanypotentialInternetusersbuttheyhavelowincomes.Themorethatischargedforspectrum–particularlyaccesstospectruminruralareas–theharderitwillbetocreateabusinessmodelthatallowsruralandotherlow-incomeuserstoconnect.TVWhiteSpacesprovidesananswertohowthisissuecanbeaddressedinawaythatisnotdetrimentaltoexistingprimaryspectrumholders.

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1.1 TheContext1.1.1 HistoryTVWhiteSpaces(TVWS)cameoutofaninitiativebytheUSregulator-theFederalCommunicationsCommission-tomakebetteruseofspectrumingeneralbutofbroadcastingspectruminparticular.Itstartedwiththeideaofdraftingtherulesthatwouldneedtobeinplacetomakethishappen.OncetherulesforfixedTVWhiteSpacesdeviceswereadoptedin2008,itcommissionedaseriesofprototypedevicesfromdifferentmanufacturersthatwouldbeabletooperateinthe“guardband”channelspectrumbetweenTVchannels.TheoriginalproposalwasthatTVWSwouldoperateinunusedtelevisionfrequenciesbetween54MHzand698MHz(TVChannels2-51).Insimpleterms,theTVguardbandchannelswereleftemptytopreventinterferencebetweenTVchannelsusingneighboringchannels.TheoriginalideaforTVWShadbeentohavedevicesthatsensedothersignalsusingnearbyspectrumandadjustedtheirtransmittedsignaltoavoidthembyusinganunoccupiedpieceofspectrum.AstheideaforTVWSdeveloped,analternativewayofdealingwithinterferencewasdeveloped.AdatabaseofspectruminusewasdevelopedandthisallowedTVWSuserstoreporttheexistenceoftheirdevicetothedatabaseinordertoavoidothersusingspectrumthatwouldcauseinterference.OneofthefirstcompaniestorunwiththetechnologywasMicrosoftthatcarriedoutwhatisclaimedtobethefirstTVWSWi-FitrialonitscampusatRedmondinSeattle.Therewasconsiderableresistancefrombroadcasterswhofearedthatforalltheprecautionstaken,thisuseof“guardband”spectrummightinterferewiththeirbroadcasttransmissions.Googlegotinvolvedin2007seeingTVWhiteSpacesasonewayofunlockingthevalueofspectrum,largelyinitiallyintheUSAbutlaterinthewiderinternationalcontext.In2013itcreatedanAPItomaketheprocessofusingTVWhiteSpaceseasier.CompaniesusingtheSpectrumDatabaseAPIwereabletosearchforfrequenciesunoccupiedbyTVorradiosignalsinspecificareasoftheUnitedStates,andregisterequipmentthatusesthosefrequenciestobroadcastwirelessinternet.Italsoseesthepossibilityofspectrumsharingbeingpossibleinotherbands.AsRichardWhitt,CorporateDirectorforStrategicInitiativesobserved:”Spectrumisnolongertelecomspolicy,it’sinnovationpolicy.”1AnumberoforganisationsemergedtochampionthetechnologyinthisprocessandtheDynamicSpectrumAlliancewasformedasaninternationalorganizationwithmembersincludingamongothersFacebook,Google,MicrosoftandRuckusWireless.1Interviewwiththeauthor.

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Ithasthreeobjectives:closingthedigitaldivide,enablingtheInternetofthingsandalleviatingthespectrumcrunch.1.1.2 TVWSPilotsTheproponentsofTVWSembarkedonastrategyofrunningpilotsandtrialsgloballytoprovethatthetechnologycouldworkandtoallowanyadjustmentstobemadeifitdidnot.ADynamicSpectrumAlliance(DSA)paperinJanuary2016counted39pilots,eitherunderwayorcompleted.Othershavebeenaddedsincethatdate:forexample,theMozambiqueregulatorINCMtenderedinApril2017forequipmenttorolloutaTVWSpilotinNampula,BeiraandTete.However,it’sworthlookingatthisearlygroupofpilotstoseewhathasbeenundertaken.Thepilotscoverfivecontinents:Asia,Africa,EuropeNorthAmericaandSouthAmerica.Themapbelowshowsthelocationofthesepilotprojects:

Thetablebelowbreaksdowntheprojectsbywheretheywererungeographicallyandtheoverallpurposeofthepilots:

Global Map of Worldwide Commercial Deployments, Pilots, and Trials

About the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance is a global organization advocating for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization. The DSA’s membership spans multinationals, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and academic, research, and other organizations from around the world, all working to create innovative solutions that will increase the amount of available spectrum to the benefit of consumers and businesses alike. Visit http://www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org/.

For more information and press regarding these Commercial Deployments, Pilots, and Trials please visit the DSA website here: http://www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org/pilots/.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at admin@dynamicspectrumalliance.org.

FOLLOW US:

Page 2 of 23 Last Updated: January 2016

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Usetype Asia Africa Europe NorthAmerica

SouthAmerica

TotalUseType

AcademicTVWSresearch

2 2

Commercial 1 1** 2Disaster 2 2Education 5 1 1 7Fishing 1 1Health 1 1 2Libraries 5 5Mixeduse 1 1MunicipalWi-Fi 2 2Remote/Ruralconnectivity

1 2 2 4 2*** 11

SmartCity 1 1Start-UpCtyconnectivity

1 1

Transport 1 1Wildlifestreaming

1 1

Totalbyregion 6 10 7 14 2 39*Useincludedaschool,ahospital,anairportandresearchfacilities.**CommercialtrialingofTVWStechnology.***Useofoneprojectwasschools.Awiderangeofusecaseswererolledoutgloballystartingmainlyin2012butthethreebiggestareas(bynumberofprojects)wereremote/ruralconnectivity,educationandlibraries.Aswillbecomeclear,thechoiceofthesepilotswasnotaccidental.TheTVWSpilotswerecarriedoutbyaverywiderangeofdifferentorganizations,oftencementingpartnershipsbetweendifferentpartsofGovernmentandinvolvingcommunityorganizationsandtheprivatesector:Typeoforganizations PilotscarriedoutEducation 10Libraries 7NationalandlocalGovernment 6Mixed 6Commercial 6Foundation/DevelopmentAgency 2Telco 1Other 1Total 39ArgumentsfortheuseofTVWSweretargetedatclosingthedigitaldivideandthesewerecentraltoaprogrammethatinvolvedfinancefromGoogleandMicrosoft.Inaddition,thepilotstookplaceinawiderangeofgeographiesfromCapeTown(a

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citywithmountainsinbetween)toamuchlessobstructedcitylandscapelikeDaresSalaam.OrtotakeexamplesofpilotswithruralsettingsfromplaceslikethemountainvillageofTanginBhutantotheforestedterrainofFu-HsingTownshipinTaiwan.SomepilotscoveredrelativelysmallareaswhereastheoneinNamibiaconsistsofanetworkdeployedovera9,424sqkmareacoveringthreeregionalcouncils.1.1.3 EmergingRegulatoryFrameworksInSeptember2013theUKregulatorOfcompublishedapolicypapercalledTVWhiteSpaces:ApproachtoCoexistencefollowinganextensiveconsultationwithstakeholdersandapilot.ItlookedathowTVWSwouldoperateintheunusedpartsoftheradiospectruminthe470to790MHzfrequencyband.ItsuggestedthatTVWSwouldsharethisbandwiththeexistinguses,DigitalTerrestrialTelevision(DTT),includinglocalTV,andProgrammeMakingandSpecialEvents(PMSE),includinginparticularwirelessmicrophoneusers.Ofcomformallygavethego-aheadforTVWSinFebruary2015.Atagloballevel,anumberofkeyregulatoryauthorities–includingtheUSA,Canada,Singapore,SouthKoreaandtheUK–haddevelopedregulatoryframeworksfortheuseofTVWhiteSpaces.InAfrica,wherealargenumberofthepilotstookplace,aroundhalfadozencountrieshavedevelopedregulatoryframeworksdesignedtoallowtheuseofTVWhiteSpacesorareintheprocessofdoingso:Country InProcess Draft Implemented

commercialtrials

Kenya(CA) ✓SouthAfrica(ICASA) ✓ Ghana(NCA) ✓ Malawi(MACRA) ✓ Uganda(UCC) ✓ Namibia(CRAN) ✓ Botswana(BOCRA) ✓ Tanzania(TCRA) ✓

InGhanatheregulatorNCAauthorized4institutionsandonecommercialcompanytorunpilots.ThelatterhasupgradedtoacommerciallicenseandaskedtooperateinKumasi(thecountry’ssecondcity)andTamale(inthepoorernorthofthecountry).NCAisconductingapublicconsultationonadraftregulatoryframework.2Theresultsoftheconsultationwillbepublishedshortly.Theaimistocreatealightlicensingregimewithalowadministrativecost.2http://www.nca.org.gh/media-and-news/news/public-consultation-on-television-white-space-tvws-spectrum-usage-regulatory-framework/

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InKenyatheregulatorCAhasauthorizedlicensedbroadcasterstoworkwithoperatorstomakeuseofTVWSforunlicensedcommercialtrials.AgranthasbeengivenbyMicrosofttoNominetandtwoequipmentproviderstobuildaTVWSdatabaseinKenya,MalawiandGhana.MobileoperatorssawTVWSascompetingwiththeirexistinglicensedbandsbuttheregulatorhasmadeclearthatTVWSspectrumwouldbeavailabletoalloperators.InMalawi,therehavebeentwoTVWSpilots,oneinZombaandtheotherinthetea-growingdistrictofMulanje.AcommerciallicencehasbeenawardedtoC3toroll-outanationalISPservice(see1.3.2below).TheregulatorMACRAhasgazetteddraftregulationsforTVWS.Thesearecurrentlyoutforconsultationandarelikelytobefinalizedin2-3monthstime.ThespectrumbeingusedisintheUHFbandandthelicensingapproachislikelytobecoststhatarecheaperthanthoseoftheprimaryusersofspectrum.InUganda,theregulatorUCChasdecidednottoallowpilotsbeforearegulatoryframeworkhasbeendrafted.TheregulatorwillbasethisframeworkontheexperienceofpreviouspilotsheldelsewhereandonregulatoryframeworksbeingdevelopedbyotherAfricanregulators.Itislookingatdeploymentsinthe700MHzbandandwantstoensurethatthereiscertaintyaboutavailabilityofthisspectrumbeforegoingahead.Itislookingathowsharingofspectrummightworkandatthebestwayoffacilitatingitwithdifferentkindsofmodels,includinglicensedandunlicensedspectrummodels.ItexpectstohavethisregulatoryframeworkinplacebytheendoftheyearbutTVWSpilotsmayhappenbeforetheframeworkisfullyestablished.InSouthAfrica,theregulatorICASAhaspublishedtwoimportantdocuments:oneisadraftregulatoryframeworkandtheotherisapositionpaperondynamicspectrumuse(seeappendixfortitlesanddownloadlinks).TheseprovideaclearsummaryofthedebatebetweenoperatorsandtheregulatoroverTVWSandthedetailofwhataTVWSframeworkmightlooklike.Thedraftregulatoryframeworkisoutforconsultationthatcloseson19May2017.Amongotherthings,itcoversthefollowing:thecharacteristicsofWhiteSpaceDevices;WhiteSpaceDeviceAuthorisation;theAvoidanceofHarmfulInterference;OperationalParameters;PermittedChannelsofOperation;LocationSpecificMaximumPermittedRadiatedPower;RequirementsforWhiteSpaceDevicestoAccesstheGeo-LocationSpectrumDatabases;AntennaRequirementsandLimits;Geo-locationSpectrumDatabaseSecurityMechanisms;ResponsibilitiesofGeo-LocationSpectrumDatabaseOperators;UserInstructionsRegardingCorrectionofHarmfulInterference;andWSDOperationsnearInternationalBorders.WhiteSpaceDeviceswillbeabletooperateinthe470MHzto694MHzUHFband((TVchannels21–48).TheWhiteSpaceDevicemusthavea“mandatory

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certificationinformationfromanaccreditedlaboratoryduringnetworkroll-out”.ThedraftprovidessetlevelsofEffectiveIsotropicRadiatedPowerforbothurbanandruralareas.IttreatstheGeo-LocationSpectrumDatabaseasaMasterDevicethroughwhichtheClientWhiteSpaceDevicemustcommunicate.Thedraftpaperondynamicspectrumcoversthefollowing:theLegislativeMandate;theIntroductionofDynamicSpectrumAssignment;TVWhiteSpacesRegulatoryframework;IntroducingTVwhitespacesregulatoryframework;TVWSlicensingmodels;OperationalManagementofSpectrumDatabases;andaRoadmapfordynamicspectrumassignmentinSAandotherusesofUHFspectrum.ICASAarguesinthispaperthattheTVWSisnotanewservicebutanallocationofspectrum.ThereforeithastheauthoritytoallocatespectrumforTVWSpurposes.Thedraftpapersays:”TheAuthorityhasundertakenextensiveresearchandstudiesonDSAandthepossibleuseofTVWSthusconfirmingthatinterferenceisnotcausedtoPrimaryusers.TheAuthorityistodevelopregulationsonTVWStoensuretheprotectionofPrimaryusersfromharmfulinterference”.Itsaysthat“theDSAconceptisapplicableacrosstheRadioFrequencyspectrumband.”Interestinglythedraftpapersummarisestheresponsestoitsproposalsasfollows:”OnthequestionoftheroadmapforfutureapplicationofDSAtootherbands,thereisanoverwhelmingsupportforstudiestowardsapplicationofDSAtootherbands…Thereisnoagreementhoweveronwhichbandstoconsider,thismaybeoneoftheinitialresearchquestionsintothefuturestudies”.However,itspecifiesthat:”TheAuthority’spositionthatonlyfixedwirelessapplicationsshouldapplytotheconceptofTVWSsincemobilityinTVWShasnotbeensufficientlydemonstrated”.Itstatesthat:”ItisclearthattheincreasingintroductionofTVWSregulationsacrosstheglobehasthepotentialtoacceleratethematurityofTVWSecosystem.Furthermore,theAuthority’sviewisthatTVWSregulationsshouldbeserviceandtechnologyagnostic”.Intermsoflicensingmodels,itnotesthat“suchregulatorylicensingframeworks(forTVWS)canbeadoptedfrombestpracticesofothercountriessuchastheFCC-US,Ofcom-UK,CanadaandSingapore.OnthekeyquestionofalicensedorunlicensedregimeforTVWS,ICASAsaysthat“mandatoryregistrationofinformationmustbeprovidedpriortothenetworkroll-out”,whichwouldseemtoindicatealightapproachtolicensing.Inresponsetoonecompany’scriticismthatTVWShadnotreallymademuchprogressasatechnologyintheUSAafter10years,ICASAnoted:”WhiletheAuthoritytakesnoteoftheprecedentsquoted,theneedforTVWSisdrivenbythelackofubiquitousuniversalbroadbandaccess.TheadoptionofTVWSisthereforeexpectedtobemorerapidinouraccess-deprivedenvironments”.(author’sitalics)

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Butwhileregulatoryframeworkshavebeenputinplaceinagrowingnumberofcountries,thebusinesscaseforcommercialandnon-commercialuseofTVWhiteSpaceshas(foranumberofreasons)beenslowertodevelop.Indeed,fewoftheoriginalpilotsweredirectlytargetedatdevelopingcommercialusecasesandtheseareexaminedinthesectionbelow.TVWhiteSpacesDatabases–WhattheydoTheTVWSdatabase(oftenreferredtoasthegeo-locationdatabase)isacloud-basedsoftwarethatpermitstransmissionsintheTVbandaslongasthereisnointerferencetoprimaryusers.Thepowerlimitsthatradiosmustcomplytoarecalculatedinreal-timebythedatabasebytakingintoaccountinformationabouttheradios,theirlocation,thegeography,and,ofcourse,therulesindicatedbytheregulator.Managingspectrumeffectivelyisoneofthekeyingredientstodeliverhighqualityservicesthatcanmeettheever-increasingdemandforconnectivity.Thereareseveralinnovativebusinessmodelsthatspectrumsharingenablesandthereforemanybusinessopportunitiesforcompaniesprovidingservicesarounddynamicspectrumdatabases.Theservicescanobviouslytargetnetworkoperators,regulators,andradiomanufacturers.Yet,othertypesofservicesarelikelytoemergeinthefutureastheregulationsandthemarketevolve.Fromaregulatorypointofview,thefundamentalapproachforusingTVWSisquitesimilarinallcountries.Ingeneral,theframeworkisbasedonprotectingincumbenttransmissions,whileallowingauthorizedradiostotransmit.Potentialinterferenceamongsecondaryusers(i.e.TVWSradios)isnothandledbytheregulatoryframeworkandcanbeaddresseddirectlybytheradios,ormanagedbythedatabase.Themaindifferencesamongdifferentcountriesareinthetechnicalrulestocomputethemaximumtransmittingpowersoftheradios,andtheradiocertificationprocess.TVWSisonlythefirstexampleofdynamicspectrumsharingbasedondatabases.IntheUS,dynamicdatabasesareusedinthe3.5GHzbandtocoordinateaccesstotheCitizenBroadbandRadioService(CBRS),whichisbasedonathree-tieraccesstospectrum:incumbentusers,priorityaccess,andgeneralauthorisedaccess.AlsoLicenceSharedAccessisbasedonaspectrumdatabasetodeterminetheprotectionareas,althoughatleastinitiallythedatabasedoesnotneedtobedynamic.33ThisboxisbasedoninterviewwithTVWSdatabaseprovidersNominet.

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1.1.4 LessonsLearnedThekeylessonslearnedfromthepilotsabovecanbesummarizedasfollows:i) Althoughnotyetafullycommercialtechnology,thereisnowsufficientusetoconsideritasafetechnologyandenoughregulatoryworktoenableuserstohavestablewaysofaccessingthespectrum.Aftersomeminorteethingtroubles,thetechnologyseemstohaveworkedsmoothlyinthepilotsanddeliveredbandwidthuptobetween2mbpsto20mbpsinoperationaluses.ThereappeartohavebeennocaseswheretheuseofTVWSinterferedwithbroadcasttransmissions.Boththedatabasetechnologyusedandtheregulatoryframeworkscontinuetodevelopbutneitherisanobstacletodeployment.ii) TVWSworksonunusedbroadcastspectrumandwithanalogueTVchannelscarewastakentohavesufficientchannelsseparatingoutthebroadcastsignalfromtheTVWSsignal.Withthetransitiontodigitalbroadcasting,thereareoftenmoreopportunitiestouseunusedspectrumbecauseofdataefficiencies:theguardbandchannelhascomedowninsizeandoverall,therearemorepotentialTVtransmissionchannels.iii) AlthoughithaslittletodowiththeTVWStechnologyitselfawiderangeoforganizationstookpartinthepilotsandsuccessfullydeliveredbandwidthtotheirchosencommunity.TheserangedfromeducationtocommercialcompaniesandfrommixedstakeholderpartnershipstoGovernment.Ifsomethingisproperlysetupandfunded,anumberoforganizationscantakepartindeliveringconnectivity.Thisisexploredinsection1.3below.iv) Thereareanumberofdifferent“flavors”ofregulationforTVWhiteSpacesandAfricanregulatorshavebuiltuponglobalexperienceelsewheretoencouragetheuseofthisnewtechnology,particularlyintacklingincreasingaccesstounservedorunderservedareas.1.2 WhyDynamicSpectrumMatters?Dynamicspectrumisanapproachtotheuseofspectrumthathasthepotentialtodeliversolutionstokeyissuesthataffecttheefficiencyofcommunicationsmarkets.TherearethreemainreasonswhyDynamicSpectrummatters:1.2.1 Beatingthespectrumcrunch:Thelawsofphysicsdictatethattheamountofspectrumavailablewillbelimited.Differentspectrumhaspropertiesthatmakeitmoreefficientfordistinctusesandithasbeenallocatedbyinternationalagreementsonthatbasis,furtherlimitingthespectrumavailableinparticularbands.Asbothbroadbandcapacityanduserdemandforgreatercapacityincreases,theamountofspectrumrequiredbyoperatorswillcontinuetoincrease.

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However,theamountofspectrumavailableisnotafixedsum.Itissubjecttothevagariesofallocationthathasinsomecasesledtounder-useandtherehavealsobeencontinuouseffortstoimprovetheuseofexistingspectrumButparadoxically,asthedemandforspectrumincreases,itisveryclearthatthereareagreatdealof“whitespaces”:partsofthespectrumthatareeithercompletelyunusedorareunder-used.These“whitespaces”takeverydifferentforms.Theycanbegeographic:soforexample,spectrumallocatedtoanoperatornationallymayremainbarelyusedorcompletelyunusedinruralareas.Likewise,spectrumallocatedtoforexample,aNavyisnotlikelytobeusedasmuchinlandasitisoncertainpartsofthesea.Butevenwithinurbanareas,spectrumusedbyoperatorsisrarelybusy100%ofthetime4.Finally,thereisspectrumthatremainsunusedtopreventinterferencebetweensignalsintwodifferentchannels,thislastwhitespacebeingtheonethatbecameknownasTVWhiteSpaces.Therearedifferentapproachestohowspectrummightbeusedmoreefficiently.Themostrecentmajorchangehasbeenthetransitionfromanaloguetodigitalbroadcasting.BroadcastingTVsignalsdigitallyhasenabledbothafarlargernumberofTVchannelstobebroadcastinthesameamountofspectrumandchangedhowmuchspectrummightberequiredfortheseparationofTVchannels.ThemorewidespreadadoptionofMIMOinitsdifferentvariantswillprobablyalsoresultinbiggainsinspectrumefficiency.TVWhitespacescameoutofadesirebytheFCCtoseehowtheuseofspectrummightbemademoreefficient.Theaimwastofindwaysofsharingoneformofunder-usedspectrum.Outofthisprocesscameatechnologythatisabletosharespectrumundercertainconditions.Althoughtherehavebeenpredictionsthat(forexample,intheUSAbytheFCC)spectrumwouldrunout,efficienciesintheuseofspectrumhavethusfarcreatedhigherlevelsofuse.Buttheissueisnotalwaysaboutwhetherthereisanoverallspectrumshortagebutwhethercertainspectrumrangescomeundergreaterpressure.Marketstendtothrivebetterwhenthethingsthatarerequiredtomakethemfunctionareaswidelyavailableaspossible.Ifthereisashortageofspectrum,thismeansthatpotentialnewentrants(withperhapsmoreinnovativeandcost-effectiveservices)areeitherdeniedaccesstothemarketorhavetowaituntiloneormoreplayersfail.

4WOUGNETinUgandahasdoneresearchinassociationwithanacademicinstitutiononspectrumuseinKampalaandfoundthatspectrumoccupancywasonly40-60%inthecapital,meaningthattherewouldbemuchloweroccupancyratesinruralareas.

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Shortageofspectrum–eitheroverallorinkeybands–willdriveupthepriceofspectrummakingthebarriertomarketentryhigher.Themoremoneypaidforspectrum,themoremoneythathasultimatelytoberecoveredfromusers,leadingpotentiallytohigherpriceswheremarketnumbersarelower.InthesecircumstancesmaximizingrevenuefromspectrumwillinevitablyincreasethecostofInternetaccessforcitizens:thisisthesituationofmanycountriesinSub-SaharanAfrica.TheuseoftheISMbandsforWi-Fideliveryhasshownhowunrestrictedspectrumhasfosteredcost-effectiveInternetdeliverytechnologies.Wi-Fitechnologyisthemostwidelydistributedgloballyandisundoubtedlythecheapestformanyuses.TVWhitespacesspectrumofferssimilaropportunitiesforinnovation.Thereforeanyregulatorwantinganefficientmarkettodeliverfortheirconsumershasanimperativetolookathowscarcespectrummightbeshared.TVWSisaneffectivetechnologyandopensupdifferentwaysofsharingscarcespectrum.1.2Openingmarketaccessfortheunconnected:Over4billionpeopleremainunconnectedgloballyandmanyoftheseareatthebottomoftheincomepyramid.Theseareallpeoplewhodonothaveaccesstotheopportunitiesprovidedbythedigitalrevolution.ThebusinessmodelsthathavesuccessfullyconnectedmillionsofpeopletotheInternetindevelopedeconomieswillnotworkinthesamewayinlessdevelopedeconomies.Inordertogetanacceptablelevelofcommercialreturn,operatorshavefocusedonaddressablemarkets:inotherwords,marketswherethecostsofrecoveringincomegenerateasufficientrateofreturntosatisfyinvestorsandenablere-investment.Overtime,whatcanbedefinedasanaddressablemarketchanges.TherewasatimeinSub-SaharanAfricawhensomemobileoperatorswouldsay3Gwouldnotworkorwouldonlyworkinlimitedareasincities.Nowtherearemanymillionsofpeopleonthecontinentusing3G.Butevenwiththisgrowth,only27.7%ofthepeopleinAfricahaveInternetaccess5.Operatorsinnearlyallcountrieshavetopaytheequivalentofataxtofunduniversalservicetoclosethis“marketfailure”gap.However,astheAllianceforAffordableInternet’s2017AffordabilityReportnoted:”UniversalServiceandAccessFunds,animportanttooltofinancestrategicinvestmentsinthesector,eitherdon’texistoraredormantinoverathirdofcountries(ofthe58countriessurveyedinthereport).”Tomeetthechallengeofservinglesswell-offpeopleglobally–particularlyinremoteandruralareas–boththecostofthecapitaltobuildthenetworkandthe

5Internetworldstats.com

BalancingAct18

costofoperatingthenetworkneedstobelowered.PotentiallyTVWSaddressestheserequirementsinanumberofdifferentways.ThepropagationcharacteristicsofTVWhiteSpacesspectrumintheallocatedTVbandscan:gothroughforestedareas,workwithoutlineofsightandpenetratebuildingswell.MawinguinKenyaisusingTVWSforoneofitspointtomulti-pointlinks.InthefirstpilotphaseitsTVwhitespacebasestationsachievedspeedsofupto16Mbpsonasingle8MHzTVchannelatdistancesofupto14kilometers.AnotheroftheTVWSpilotsinTonoCity,Iwate,JapancarriedoutbyNICTandHitachiKokusaiElectricunderR&DcontractswiththeMinistryofInternalAffairsandCommunicationsestablishedalinkof12.7kmswiththroughputof5.2Mbpsdownstreamand4.5Mbpsupstream.Usingchannelaggregationwithtwochannels,throughputwas15.5Mbpsdownstreamand9.0Mbpsupstreamover6.3kms.ThenetworksdeliveringTVWhiteSpacesputtogetherexistingfibre,TVWStechnologyfor(potentially)bothbackhaulandaccessdeliveryandWi-Fiforfirstmileaccess.IncommonwithGSMnetworksdeliveringInternet(whether2G,3Gor4G),thesecheapernetworksstillrequirepowerandmasts.However,thecapitalrequirementsforeachoftheseitemsissignificantlylowerinmostgeographies,particularlywiththeuseofsolarpower.DetailedmodelinghasbeendoneoncostcomparisonsbetweenthetypeofTVWSnetworkdescribedanditsequivalentforLTE6.Onthesignificantcomparisonofcostpermbpsdelivered,theTVWSnetworkdeliversmorecheaply.Theprecisebasisofthefiguresinthismodelingshouldrightlycontinuetobearguedover:thereareveryfewoperationalbusinessmodelsforeitherTVWSorLTEinruralareas.Butonethingisveryclear,inasituationwhereamobileoperatormayreasonablysayitisuneconomicforthemtoprovidedatacoverage,aTVWSnetworkmayhavebettercommercialchanceofbeingabletodoso.ThefinalpartoftheargumentisthatifaccesstoTVWSspectrumisunlicensed(aswith2.4GHzand5GHz)thenanymarketentrantseekingtoprovideInternettoruralorremoteareaswillnotbepayingspectrumfees.Thissavingagainstrengthensthebusinessmodelforpotentialoperatorswantingtocreatebusinessestosupplythesetypesofareas.Alltoooftenoverthelastfiveyears,therehasbeenablockageincompletingthetaskofprovidingInternettoruralareas.Mobileoperatorshavebeenreluctanttowidentheirdatacoverageforunderstandablecommercialreasonsbutareequallyreluctanttoseeanyoneusetheirunusedspectrumtocarryoutthistask.Inrelativelyuncompetitiveenvironmentsinlessdevelopedcountriesthismeansthatanymarketdevelopmentbeyondthemobileoperators’datacoverageareaislargelyfrozen.

6ComparingCostsofDeployingTVWhiteSpaces(TVWS)andLongTermEvolution(LTE)Networks,UmairQayyum,TechMahindraforMicrosoft,9May2016

BalancingAct19

Therehavebeenoccasionalexperimentswheremobileoperatorshavefranchisedouttheiroperationinaremoteareatoalocalentrepreneurbutthisapproachisnotwidespread.Themobileoperatorsfeeltheyareprotectingtheirinvestmentinspectrumandarereluctanttoseeothersabletooperateonwhattheyseeasmoreadvantageousterms.Thechallengecontainedwithintheexistingspectrummodelisthatthemarketinmorepopulatedcentreswillsupportpaymentsforaccesstospectrumthatthemarketinruralareaswithscatteredpopulationswillnot.Onesizedoesnotfitallcircumstances.Sharingisoneapproachthatmightunlocknewbusinessmodelapproaches.Sharingofpassiveinfrastructureisnowwidelyaccepted(afterinitialresistance)butsharingofspectrumhasbeenmuchmorecontesteduntilrelativelyrecently.Mobileoperatorshavespreadtheirvoicecoverageinmanycountriesinlesswell-developedmarketstothelimitsoftheircurrentaddressablemarkets.However,InternetismuchlesswidelyprovidedforwithinGSMnetworks:forunderstandablereasonscoveragefocusesontownsandmajorroadroutes.Also2Gand3Gcoverageinmoreruralareastendstosufferfromanunhealthycombinationofthefollowing:relativelyhighpricesforsmallamountsofaccess(expressedinMBs),lowspeedsthatcrampfunctionalusesandanacceptanceofrelativelylowlevelsofqualityofservicebybothoperatorsandusers.GettingInternetaccessathigherspeedsandlowerpricestoremoteandruralusersrequiresacombinationofresettingthebusinessmodeltogetbetteroperatingcosts,incentivesonspectrumcostsandcost-reducinginnovativeapproachestothetechnologiesused.1.3Changinghowspectrumissoldandused:TheadvocatesfordynamicspectrumtechnologyhavefocusedtheirattentiononawayinwhichthetechnologycanbeusedtodemonstratethatitworksthroughTVWhiteSpaces.Howeverdynamicspectrumopensupamuchwidersetofpotentialbenefits.Theroadthatcouldstretchtothehorizonfordynamicspectrummightincludeeverythingfromsomequiteincrementalchangestothepossibilityofamuchmorefundamentalshiftinhowspectrumissoldandused.Althoughitwasneverintendedtobeusedinthisway,theunlicensed2.4GHzand5GHzspectrumhasenabledthedevelopmentofoneofthemostwidelyusedInternettechnologiesWi-Fi.ArguablyallowingTVWhiteSpacesorequivalentwhitespacestobeunlicensedmightallowthistechnologytobecomeasimilarlyusefulpartofthetechnologyecosystem,bothforfirstmileandbackhauldelivery.Continuousinnovationrequiresnewandexistingplayerstohaveaccesstospectrumthatisnotbeingchargedinsamewayasyoumightforcommerciallyallocatedspectrum.Adynamicspectrumapproachallowsmultipleuserstohaveaccesstothesamespectrum.Aspointedoutearlier,TVWhiteSpacesaresimplyoneofseveralareasof

BalancingAct20

whitespacesthatexist.TheapproachesusedforTVWhiteSpacescanbeused(afterfulldiscussion)forotherareasofwhitespaces.Putsimply,TVWhiteSpacesisamechanismforsharingspectrumandtheremaybeotherpartsofthespectrumbandthatlendthemselvestosharingwithdifferentusecases.Thisexploratoryworkonspectrumsharinginotherbandsdoesnotmeanoverridingtheownershiprightsofexistingspectrumholdersbutworkingincrementallytoseewhatmightbepossible.Forexample,intheUSA,dynamicdatabasesareusedinthe3.5GHzbandtocoordinateaccesstotheCitizenBroadbandRadioService(CBRS),whichisbasedonathree-tieraccesstospectrum:incumbentusers,priorityaccess,andgeneralauthorisedaccess.Alsospectrumsharingisalreadybeingdiscussedasapossibilityfor4Gand5Gatsomepointinthenottoodistantfuture.7Finally,itisnotimpossibletoimaginethatthetimeusedbydifferentoperatorsofthesharedspectrummightberecorded.Soforexample,itwouldbepossibletotellhowmanyminutesparticularoperatorsmadeofthesharedspectrum.Ifthatwerepossibleitisnottoomuchasteptoimaginebeingabletochargeforspectrumonatimeusedbasisratherthanonapre-purchasedbasis.Theattractionofthisapproachisthatitputspressureonoperatorstomakethemosteffectiveuseofthespectrumchargedinthisway,whichmightholdwiderlessonsacrossalltypesofspectrumsold.TVWSTechnology–AFutureRoadmapIn2013,theIEEE802.11afstandardwasimplementedthatwouldallowthecreationofchipsetsthatarecompatiblewithTVWSdevices.Butasalwayswithnewstandardstherehasbeenatimelagbetweenstandardfinalizationandthemainstreamadoptionofthechipsetsanddevicesbasedonthestandard.Alsosince11afisinacompletelydifferentfrequencybanditisalsotakingtimetobeimplemented.Costofequipmentiskeytoawiderroll-outofTVWSdevicesandlikeothernewequipment,twofactorswilldrivedownprices:volumesalesandtheavailabilityofchipsets.Herethereisa“chicken-and-egg”challengeinthemarket.Chipsetsrequireinvestmentbycompaniesthatcanonlybejustifiedifthereissomeprospectofvolumemarketsales.However,insomecasesvendorcompanies(especiallystart-ups)mighttakealeapoffaithandinvestinthechipsetsforanewtechnology,whichmaybecomethedriverfortheformationofanecosystem.

7OfcomPromisesEnoughAirwavesFor5G,LooksAt3.4–4.2GHzSpectrumSharing:http://www.silicon.co.uk/workspace/ofcom-spectrum-sharing-5g-190049;5GSharedSpectrum,Qualcomm,September2016:https://www.slideshare.net/qualcommwirelessevolution/5g-shared-spectrum-67562735

BalancingAct21

ThekeytovolumesalesisprobablytheavailabilityofaUS$10chipsetthat–withtherightglobalregulation–wouldopenupvolumesalesindifferentregions.Thechallengethen–asitwaswithWiMAX–iswhetherthetechnologywilltakeoffinasufficientnumberofregionstocreatetherequiredvolume.Asoneequipmentvendortoldus”:USAisalwaystheearlyadoptermarketforanewtechnology.IfsomethingcantakeoffintheUSA,itwillmostlylikelytakeoffaroundtheworld.However,astheglobaleconomicpowerlandscapehasshiftedintherecentyears,othercountiesareplayingincreasinglymoreimportantroles,likeChina.SomyassessmentisthattheTVWSmassmarketadoptionprobablyhasa50percentdependencyontheUSand50percentdependencyontherestoftheworld”.81.3TheBusinessModelofDynamicSpectrumOperatorsTVWSadvocateshavetendedtofocustheirargumentsaroundtheideathatTVWSiswellsuitedtoparticularsegmentsorbusinesscases.AnumberofdifferentusecasesareusuallyidentifiedincludingtheInternetofThings,low-costbroadbandforruralareas,useinpublicfacilitieslikehospitalsandlibrariesandforlow-incomeuserslikestudents.Intruth,thereisnobusinessmodelorbusinesscasethatisintrinsictoTVWStechnology.TVWSoffersacombinationofacoupleofkeyadvantagesthatwillhelpanoperatorbuildabusinessacase.ThecharacteristicsofTVWSspectrumallowittodoanumberofthingsthatarenoteasilyavailablethroughforexistingunlicensedspectrum.Forexample,itdoesnothavetobelineofsight,ithasasignificantreachandgoodpenetrationofbuildings.FurthermoreifthisspectrumadvantageiscombinedwitharegulatoryframeworkwhereTVWSisavailableonanunlicensedbasis,thiscombinationprovidesasignificantfinancialadvantagetoanoperator.Itisworthemphasizingthatalthoughtheseadvantageshavebeenlargelyusedbynewmarketentrantsintheroll-outofthepilots,therewouldbenothingtostopexistingoperatorsmakinguseofthem.ThesetechnicalandfinancialincentivesareparticularlywellsuitedtoanyoperatorwantingtocreateabusinesscaseforprovidingdataandInternetservicesforlow-incomecustomersandreachingcustomersinruralareas.Theargumentisnotthattheseserviceswouldcompetedirectlywithexistingmobiledataservicesbutwouldbeanadditiontotheserviceecosystem.Forexample,peopleonthemoveorinruralorunder-servedareaswheretherewasnoalternativewouldcontinuetouse2Gand3Gconnectivity.

8ThisboxisbasedonaninterviewwithHaiyunTang,CEOandCo-FounderofTVWSequipmentvendor,Adaptrum.

BalancingAct22

Butwithacheaperandfasterfixedconnection,theywouldhavealternativesthattheymightuseoverWi-Fihot-spotswiththefollowing:alowpricesmartphone,withacheapWi-FiCPEintheirhomeandatacyber-caféorsimilarpublicaccesspoint.Byincreasingthenumberofpointswherepeoplecanbeonlinethroughouttheday,thedatamarketwillgrowovertimeandalloperatorswillshareinthatgrowth.Byloweringprices,theamountofuseandthenumbersusingdatawillalsostarttogrowintheseareas(seecasestudybelow).Thisbusinesscaseaddressesdifferentissuesindifferentpartsofacountry’sgeography.Thesearerepresentedschematicallyinthetablebelowthatbreaksacountry’sgeographyintothreebroadgeographiccategoriesbasedonSub-SaharanAfricancountries:whatisdescribedasamainroadmayinsomecountriessimplybealargedirttrackorariver.Fromlefttorightthesegeographiccategoriesrepresentincreasinglevelsofdifficultyforoperatorstoreach.Intherowsbelowthegeographicheadings,itsummarisesthekindsofexistingnetworkissuesfound,theissuesexperiencedbyexistingandpotentiallow-incomeusersandthekindofbusinesscasethatmightbepossiblewithTVWSincentives.Threeareasofcommercialbusinesscaseemergefromthissummary.Thefirsttwoareabout“in-fill”coverageandthethirdisaboutextendingedgeofmarketcoverage:(i) Thelowincomeurbanandperi-urbanareas(ii) Lowerincometownsandsettlements,onandoffthemainroads.(iii) OffthemainroadsettlementswithinreachofthemainroadbyTVWS

technology.Withsomelevelofsubsidy,afourthcategoryofpublicservicebusinesscasecanbeadded:(iv) Scatteredgroupsofpopulationbeyondeasyreachofamainroad.

BalancingAct23

ExistingDataCoverage

Urban/Peri-Urban Town/Onamainroad Offamainroad/remote

NetworkIssues •Networkcongestion•Blindspots•Stabilityofconnection•TheftandvandalismattheBTS•Mixofdieselandgridelectricity•Blindspotswithhilly/mountainousterrain(egCapeTown,Kampala)

•2G/3G•Blindspotsanduncoveredareas•Poorqualityconnections•Lowspeeds•Mainlydieselbutsomegrid(variesbycountry)

•Nearnon-existentcoverage•Costofconnectivityforremotesites(satellite)•Expensivetoaccessandservice•Mainlysolarpower

ExistingandpotentiallowIncomeUserIssues

•LowMBuseisexpensive•Highspeednotaffordable,limitsusestoemail&browsing•Accesstohomeentertainmentnotyetanoption

•LowMBuseisveryexpensive•Distancetotraveltogetbetterconnection•Speedslimituses

•Lowlevelsofaccesstodevices(smartphones)•Distancetotraveltogetaconnection•Verylowlevelsofdisposableincome

BusinesscasewithTVWSincentives

•Householdsinperi-urban/Informalsettlements•Studentsandschoolsinperi-Urban/Informal•Publicaccesspointsinperi-urban/informalsettlements

•Betterofffarmers•Isolatedprofessionals•SMEs•Communityanddevelopmentorganisations•Students•Schools•Publicaccesspoints

•Sameusersasinpreviouscolumn•Mixofareaswithabusinesscaseandareaslikelytorequiresomeformofsubsidy•Publicaccesspoints

Twocasestudiesfollowwhichillustratehowacommercialstrategymightbeconstructedfromthesebusinessusecasesandathirdsetofcasestudieslooksathowdifferentgovernment,communityanddevelopmentorganisationsmightdeliverinthoseareaswherethereisnotacommercialusecase.1.3.1 Mawingu(Kenya)Kenya’sMawinguNetworkswaslaunchedin2013usingTVWhiteSpacesspectrumaspartofMicrosoft’s4AfrikaTVWhiteSpacesinitiative.Itoperatedonatwelve-monthtrialbasisandthetrialwasrenewedbytheKenyanregulator-theCommunicationsAuthority-forafurther12monthsbeforebeingwithdrawnattheendofthatperiod.Itcontinuedtooperateusingunlicensedspectrumandwasabletostartre-usingTVWSforpoint-to-multi-point(inco-operationwithgovernmentbroadcasterKBC)whentheregulatorauthorizedoperatorstoworkwithbroadcasterstoaccessTVWSspectrum.

BalancingAct24

ItwassetuptotargetareasinKenyawithouteitherelectricityordataaccess.Mawingu’sbusinessmodelisfairlystraightforward.Itsetsupsolar-poweredhot-spotsinplaceswithoutgridpower.Thesehot-spotsaresalespointswithwhatitcallsMerchantswhohelpthecustomersaccesstheInternetontheirphoneandsellthemInternettime.ThecompanywantstogivetheMerchantsareasonablesliceoftheincomegeneratedandinfuturemakethemresponsibleforsellingarangeofservicesthatmayincludeInternetofThingsproducts.Theaimistoprovidetheseresellerswithsufficientincometoa)givethempaidemployment;andb)theirrelianceonthisincomewillmakethemresponsibleforbothsellingandmakingsurethenetworkismaintained.TheserviceistargetedatindividualcustomersandSMEs.Fortheindividualcustomerstherearefourdifferentdatabundlesaccessedthroughhot-spots:Chwani300MBforKS50(US47cents);Pepea500MBforKS100(US97cents);Thamani2GBforKS300(US$2.85)andAkiba8GKS1000(US$9.49).Allbundlesarevalidfor90daysfrompurchasedateratherthanthemoreusual30daysfoundinthemarket.MawingucurrentlycoversfourcountiesinKenya,200kmsawayfromthecapitalNairobi:Embu,Laikipia,MeruandNyeri.In36monthstimeitwantstobeofferingnearnationalcoverageforitstargetedcustomers.Itcurrentlyhas500hot-spots,upfrom300ayearagoandplanstoroll-out40-50,000overthenextthreeyears.Itislookingatareaswherethereislittleorno3Gor4Gcoverageandfocusesonplaceswherepeoplemeetandtrade:typically,afewDukas(smallshops)andastoppingpointformatatus(buses).Ithasjustover10,000activeindividualcustomersandover400SMEcustomers.Itneedsasfewas20activecustomerstoenableittoroll-outanaccesspointforapublichot-spot.However,itoftenpersuadesitsSMEcustomerstoputinanotherSSIDthatallowspublicWi-Fiaccessalongsidetheirbusinessconnection,whichaftersomeinitialskepticism,theyfindusefulforvisitoraccessanditcanalsobeusedbypassers-by.Mawinguhasattractedinvestmentfromthefollowingpeopleandcompanies:JimForster(itsinitialangelinvestor);VulcanInc;MicrosoftandOPIC.ItsotherpartnersincludeStrathclydeUniversity,6Harmonics;andAdaptrum.SohowareitsusersaccessingtheInternetandwhataretheydoingwithit?AstudyentitledTheearlysocialandeconomicimpactofMawinguincertainlocationsinLaikipiabyECSPartnersfocusedonusersinMatanyawithbeforeandafterdatabasedon300householdsandbothquantitativeandqualitativedata.Matanyasub-locationcoversanareaofjustover121sqkmandthe2009censusreportedapopulationof14,848peoplein4,095households,withanaverageof3.6individualsperhousehold.Matanyaislocatedaround10kilometresfromNanyuki,oneofthetwomajorurbancentresofthecountyofLaikipia.

BalancingAct25

However,Matanyacentreisanimportanttradingpostinitsownright,with30-40smallbusinessesandalargeSundaymarketservingthefarmersandthegeneralpopulationsofthesurroundingarea.Only32%ofMatanya’sinhabitantshavesecondaryeducationorabove.Overthesurveyassessmentperiodsmartphoneownershiphasrisenfrom11%to15%.However,thecostofdatabundlesisstillseenbymanyasabarriertobuyingasmartphone.UseoftheInternetbyindividuals(overthelastthreemonths)was14%and5%ofthosesampledhadusedMawingu’sservice.ThetwomostwidelymentionedpositivesbyearlyMawinguuserswerespeed(60%)andvalue.Usesbyindividualusersindescendingorderwereasfollows:communication,music,video,business9,pictures,downloadingandeducation.AChurchorganizerinafocusgroupspokeaboutusingFacebooktocommunicatewithhiscongregation.AfarmerdescribedresearchingastrainofdroughtresistantmaizeontheInternet.ManygroupparticipantsspokentoduringtheresearchusedtheInternettoresearchthepriceofmoreexpensivethingstheywerebuyingtocheckprices.Alargemajority(88%)ofthequantitativerespondentsbelievethattheInternetwillbenefitthempersonally.AlloftheMatanyarespondentsbelievedthattheInternetwouldbenefittheircommunity.Inthefocusgroupdiscussions,usersspokeofhowaccesstofasterandmorereliableInternetassistedtheminsometasks,suchasthedownloadingoflargefiles,thatwouldbeslowerandoftenunsuccessfulonaweakandsooftenvariable3Gsignal.Itfoundnumerousexamplesofhowvideowasnowbeingusedforeducation,worktraining,andgenerallearningandteaching.Asthereportnotes:”TheroleofvideomaybeespeciallyimportantinKenyawhereliteracyisnotuniversalandislikelysubstantiallylowerinruralareas.”Onefocusgroupparticipantpointedouttheimportanceofvideoontheprocessofexplainingthingstoparentsintheirfortiesorfifties,“theshowingofavideo,itwillbebetter,becausehe’llseethewholeprocessbutifyoutellhimtoreadit’snotgoodforhim”Initsbaselineanalysis,inlate2014,itfoundthat85%ofthecybercaféusersinMatanyawouldtravelintoNanyukitousethecybercafé.AsthecybercaféinMatanya,reliedonaweak3Gsignal,itofferedpoorspeedsandunreliableconnectivity.ThejourneyintoMatanyawouldcost100KShandtake45minutesone-wayinthedryseasons,risingto200KShand90minutesonrainaffecteddirtroads.Inmid-2015,Mawinguprovidedaconnectiontothecybercafe,replacingthemobiledongles.Bylate2016,lessthan6monthslater,thepatternsofusagearoundcybercafesinMatanyahadchangeddramatically.Insteadof85%travelingtoNanyuki,thesamefigurewerenowusingthemuchmoreeasilyaccessiblecybercaféinMatanya.9Definedassomethingthathelpedthemearngreaterincome.

BalancingAct26

1.3.2 C3(Malawi)C3’sfounderRichardChisalawasontheBoardoftheMalawianregulatorMACRAandwasinvolvedinoneoftheearlyTVWSpilotsfromtheregulatorside.WhenMicrosoftopeneditsAccessProgramme,heappliedthroughhissystemsintegratorcompanyC3in2015.ThefollowingyearC3wasselectedandofferedUS$0.5milliontosetupitsnetwork.Itsaidatthetime:”C3isdeployingaTVWhiteSpacenetworkforaffordableInternetandtelephoneservicesinunderservedruralareas,aswellase-learning,e-government,ande-healthsolutions”.InternetpenetrationinMalawiiscurrentlyaround5%.LandlockedMalawiranksamongtheworld'smostdenselypopulatedandleastdevelopedcountries.Around85%ofMalawi’spopulationisruraland90%ofexportrevenuescomefromagriculture:productsincludetobacco,sugarcane,cotton,tea,corn,potatoes,sorghum,cattleandgoats10.C3hasdecidedtobuilditsownnationwidedatanetworkinfrastructure,usingTVWS,WiFiandMimosaB5Cforbackhaulconnectivity.Itwantstobeabletooperateagreatdealofitsnetworkoff-grid.Localmarketconditionsmeanthatitwillbecheapertobuynewtowersratherthanco-locatingonexistingones.Beingalandlockedcountry,oneofMalawi’shistoricproblemswasthehighcostofinternationalbandwidth,afactorthatforalongtimekeptretailbandwidthpriceshigh.ThecountryhasnowimplementedaVirtualLandingPointthatoffersinternationalbandwidthwholesaleatbetweenUS$100-175permbps.Thenetworkwillhavethreeexitroutesfromthecountryviaitsneighbors(Mozambique,TanzaniaandZambia)toprovidemaximumredundancy.AswithMawingu,C3willfocusonindividualusersandSMEsandNGOs.Butitsinitialfocuswillbethelatterandonceithasenoughofthiscategoryofcustomer,itwillstarttoroll-outtoindividualcustomers.C3isworkingwithNethope,anNGOwhichprovides“cross-sectorcollaborationbetweennonprofitsandinnovativecompaniestodevelopbetterprograms,mitigaterisks,andscalebenefitsforgreaterimpactinthecommunitiesinwhichwework”.Malawihasaround800NGOsandNethopehasbeentrainingthemonhowtodeployTVWS.Asanexampleofthetypeofneed,thereisarefugeecampatDzaleka(50kmsfromLilongwe)housing29,000inhabitants,displacedfromBurundi,DRCandRwanda.AccordingtoChisala:”ItwillcoveralldistrictsofMalawifromnorthtosouthandbethefirstnationwidedatainfrastructure.”Itplanstoroll-out5,000hot-spotsacrossthecountry.10CIAFactbook

BalancingAct27

TheTVWSspectrumavailableis479-690MHzandtherearepotentially28channelsthatmightbeused.Malawihascompletedthedigitalbroadcastingmigrationbroadcastingprocessandswitchedofftheanaloguesignals.Asnotedinthepreviouscasestudy,adatabaseofspectrumuserswillbecreatedwithNominetandtwoequipmentproviders.TherearedraftregulationscoveringTVWSandthesearebeingcirculatedbetweentherelevantMinistriesbeforebeingtakenintotheexistingCommunicationsActandgazetted.Afterthisprocesshasoccurred,theregulatorMACRAwillissueacommercialtriallicense.UndertheconvergedlicenceframeworkinMalawi,C3willbeabletooffervoiceservicesifitextendsitslicencetobeabletoofferthem.1.3.3 Non-CommercialBusinessCasesFormanyplaceswherethereareveryscatteredlow-incomepopulationsinruralareas,itiscurrentlyalmostimpossibletoenvisageacommercialbusinesscase.Gettingaccesstothesetypesofpopulationshasproventobeoneofthemostchallengingpartsofclosingthedigitaldivide.ThesepopulationsareoftenbeyondthereachofAfrica’sgrowingfibrenetworks.11Inthesecircumstances,thekeychallengesarenotjustabouttechnologybutalsoaboutorganizationalcapacity.Someorganizationorgroupofpeoplehastocareenoughaboutthedataconnectiontoensureitstayson.ThenumberofyoungpeopleenthusiastictoconnecttotheInternet(withorwithoutpayment)willbefarlessintheseareaswheresecondaryeducationandincomelevelsareattheirlowest.Adatanetworkservingscatteredpopulationsinremoteareasmustbemaintainedandoperatedofteninharshconditions.Populationdensityisakeyissueforthiskindofnon-commercialbusinesscase.IndiahaspioneeredmanydifferentapproachestoconnectingscatteredruralpopulationsbutithasoftenbeendonewherepopulationdensitiesaremuchhigherthaninAfrica.India’sNationalSampleSurveyOrganisationdefinersruralasthoseplaceswithupto400peoplepersqkm.Asthemapbelowshows,therearemanyareasofAfricabelow10peoplepersqkmisthenorm.

11During2015:45.8%OfSub-SaharanAfrica’swaswithinreachoffibrenetworks.Oncethefibrenetworkwhichiscurrentlyunderconstructionentersservice,thefibrereachofSub-SaharanAfricawillincreaseto48.1%(458million),andoncethenetworkwhichisplannedorproposedentersserviceitwillincreaseto53.7%(511million).Source:http://www.africabandwidthmaps.com/?p=5186

BalancingAct28

Source:http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0031743Althoughnotdescribedassuch,asignificantportionoftheTVWSpilotsprogrammecanbecharacterizedasprovidingserviceinareaswheretherewaslittleornocommercialbusinesscase:manypilotswereeffectivelyuniversalserviceroll-outs.Thoseinvolvedknittedtogetherpartnershipsoforganisationsandusesthatenabledthedataconnectiontobeusefulandusable.Globalexamplesindevelopingcountriesinclude:• Healthlinks:InBhutan,aremotehealthfacilityinthevillageofTangwas

connectedtoBumthangHospitalbyaTVWSpointtomultipointlink.Thelinkallowedvillagerstobookhospitalappointmentsandreceivemedicaladvicewithoutneedingtogotothehospital.ThelinkwasdeliveredbyTerabitandBhutanTelecom.ThePhilippinesexamplebelowalsoconnectsremotevillagehealthclinicsasdoesProjectKgolaganoinBotswanathathasaspecificfocusonprovidingaccesstospecializedmaternalmedicineinsmalltownsandruralareas.TelemedicineexpertsanddoctorsprovidingmedicalexpertiseforreferredpatientsarebeingprovidedbyBUP.

BalancingAct29

• Schoolslinks:InthePhilippines,alinkwassetupwithschoolsinremotevillageswithtobringinternetaccesstosmallpocketsofpopulationwhocurrentlyhaveslowornon-existentInternet.Thevillagesareallwithin3-7kmsofTheDepartmentofScienceandTechnology’sInformationandCommunicationTechnologyOffice,DepartmentofAgriculture’sBureauofFisheriesandAquaticResourcesandUSAIDpartneredtocreatelinksthatwouldfisherfolktoregisterforlicences,IDsandcertificatesandencouragesustainablefishingpoliciesanddevelopfishingemployment.TheBoaneMunicipalityprojectinMozambiquewillalsoconnectlocalschoolsandthelibraryofaregionaluniversity.PlanCeibalinUruguayusedittoconnectfiveremoteschools.

• LocalGovernmentlinks:TheCitizenConnectpilotinNamibiacoversthree

regionalcouncils-Oshana,Ohangwena,andOmusati-andconnects28schoolsinnorthernNamibia.ThepartnersareMyDigitalBridgeFoundationinpartnershipwithMicrosoftandAdaptrum,withsupportfromtheMillenniumChallengeCorporation(MCC)andMillenniumChallengeAccount(MCA).

Finally,TVWScanbeusedincircumstanceswheredisasterscutoffcommunitiesfromvoiceanddatanetworkconnections.IntheaftermathofTyphoonHaiyaninthePhilippinesin2013,themainexistingcommunicationsnetworkswereknockedoutbythetyphoon.TheDepartmentofScience&Technology’s(DOST)ICTOfficesetupaTVWSnetworkthatwasbackhauledwithVSATandswitchedonafterafewhours.ItenabledvoiceanddatacommunicationsforanyonewithanInternet-connecteddevice(phone,laptoportablet)forlaterdisasterreliefefforts.TheDepartmentclaimsthatthenetworkwassetupatatenthofthecostofalternativeviablesolutions.TheadvantageofhavingmuchlowerlicensingcostswasidentifiedasakeyadvantageofTVWSbyDorothyOkello,WOUGNETinUgandawhoarekeentorunanon-commercialpilot:”IfyouuseTVWSyousavesignificantlyonlicensingcostsanditwouldbringdownouroverallcosts.Thiswouldbeusefulifweranasasocialenterpriseafterthepilot.”12ThesamepointwasechoedinaslightlydifferentwasbySoniaJorge,ExecutiveDirectoroftheAllianceforAffordableInternet:”Itgreatlyreducesthecostofbroadbandprovisionandallowsnewservicestargetedtoruralandmarginalizedusers.”However,shebelievesthatthisimpactneedstobedocumentedandresearchedtodemonstrateboththecostsandtheimpact.TVWSpilotshaveundoubtedlyenergizedeffortstoreachpeopleandplaceswherethereislittleornocommercialbusinesscase.Thelessonsfromthesepilotscanbe

12Interviewwiththeauthor.

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usedtohelpdevelopasecondgenerationofTVWSnon-commercialbusinesscasepilots.1.3.4 OperatorPerceptionsofBusinessCaseforTVWSThesuccessorotherwiseofTVWSwillnotrelyjustontheclarityofitsbusinesscases.Bothnewandexistingoperatorswillneedtobeconvincedthatithasaroletoplayinthedataaccessecosystemandisnota“dead-end”technologylikeWiMAX.ThissectionprovidersoperatorperceptionsofTVWSacrossarangefromverypositivetomorenegative.Thethreeoperatorsrangeinsizefromthesmall(poa!Internet)tothemuchlarger(LiquidTelecom,Safaricom).ThemainreservationsthattheoperatorsspokentoaboutTVWSexpressedwereaboutregulatoryuncertaintyandwhetherchangestoregulationwouldthreatenanexistinglicence.Noneofthosespokentoexpressedmisgivingsaboutthetechnologyitself.BenRoberts,CTO,LiquidTelecomdescribedTVWSas“agreatenablerinruralenvironments”.HethoughtTVWScontributedtocreatingbettermarketbusinessmodels:”WesupportMawinguonthebackhaulsideandweneedentrepreneurialISPsfocusingoncertainareas…I’dliketoseeentrepreneursbuildingISPnetworks.Weseeafutureinthatmodelasit’snotsustainableforeveryonetobeacustomerofSafaricom.Ifyourelyonmobileoperators,it’snotgoingtohappenlefttocentralizedtelcos.Therehastobecompetition.(Forlowincomepopulations)there’sgoingtoberuraloperatorsandurbanoperatorslikepoa!Internet.”Likemanyoperators,hehighlightedtheissueofthecostofspectrumandwonderedhowanyonepayingtensofmillionsofdollarsforspectrumwouldbeabletomakeabusinessoutofitinthekindsofareasthatareeithercurrentlypoorlyorcompletelyuncovered:”Everybody’sbuilding(access)infrastructureinthesameplace”andit’snotinruralareas.BothBenRobertsandAndyHalsall,co-founderpoa!InternetbelievethattheTVWSequipmenthastocomedowninprice.AsHalsallsaid:”Wi-Fitechnologyis25yearsoldandverycheap.TVWhitespacesequipmentisinthe(upperhundredsofdollars)butneedstocomedowntoafewhundreddollars.”Halsallalsopointedtotheregulatoryuncertainties.Atpresent,Kenyaoffersoperatorswhataredescribedascommercialtrialswhereanoperatorreachesanagreementwithalicensedbroadcasterwhoownsspectrum.ButitiscurrentlyunclearwhatwillhappentoTVWSspectrumusebeyondthecommercialtrialsperiod.HalsallseesthiskindofuncertaintyholdingbackinvestmentinTVWS:”Thereneedtobeclearlystatedpoliciestotakeittomarket.”

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“Wemighthaveacrackatitasalearningexperiencebutwe’renotgoingtospendalotofmoneyonit.Theregulatorhastosaythat(TVWSspectrum)isanationalresourceandturnitintopublicspectrumwithlightlicensingandonlyanadministrativecharge(forthelicence)…Ifitsquasi-publicspectrum,someonehastosetthemandate…Thecurrentunlicensedbandsarehighlycongested.”Themainconcernsforthemobileoperatorsareaboutprotectingthespectrumtheyhavealreadybought.AccordingtoThibaudRerolle,CTO,Safaricom:”Wearealicensedoperatorandweinvestasignificantamountofmoneyinspectrum(forwireless,transportandVSAT).We’realsolookingattheWi-Fispaceandwerecentlyacquiredmorespectrum-throughaprocess–for800MHz”.“Allspectrumcomesatafee.WepaythefeeandcanprovidetheQoSaspartoftheservicethatwe’reknownfor.Wetrytomakebestuseofspectrum.We’realsousingothertypesofspectrumandhavemoreneedforspectrum.Weusetheunlicensedbandsforfree…Whenyourenderaservice,youneedtobeheldaccountableandthatreliesongoodpractices.Ifgoodqualityservicesareavailable,weneedsomehowtohavethemlicensed”.“Weneedtocontinuetodeveloptheinfrastructureandthiscomesatacost.Whopaysforthatcost?Wepaytooperate–licencefees,taxesanddividendstotheGovernment-andinexchangewecreatebetterinfrastructureforthecountry.Thisiscriticalinfrastructureanditneedstobepartoftheecosystem.Wearethelargesttaxpayerinthiscountry.Withthelackofotherindustries(whomightpaytaxesonthisscale)weneedtofosterasystemthatcanenablethesedevelopments”.TheargumentsaboutTVWSarenotreallyabouttechnology:”Theimportantthingisthatthetechnology(ofwhateverkind)isevolvingandthatthetechnologymakesbestuseofanyspectrum”.Safaricomalreadyhas94%coveragebypopulationforvoiceandhasasacorporateobjective100%coverage:”Wehave100%populationcoverageinourSDGs.We’renotreallylookingatthebusiness(case)forthisbutasaCSRactivity.MostplacesreallyneedthestandardGSMcoverage.Buttherewillbeplaceswhereothertypesofspectrumareneeded”.“We’relookingatremoteareatechnologythatislowcost,lowenergyandgreenpowered.Ifthereislowcoverageintermsofcapacity,we’daimtobuildaprogressivebusinesscase”.ThetechnologiesunderconsiderationincludeGoogle’sLoonprojectandextendedGSM.Hestressedthatthedataserviceprovidedtoruralcustomersshould–throughaprocessofbuildingaprogressivebusinesscase–bethesameaselsewhereinthecountry:”Myargumentisthatwhenyougotoplacesthatarenotyetreachedisthattheywillexpectthesamelevelofserviceasanyoneelsewhere.Theyshouldn’thavetosay‘Oh,Ican’tdownloadWhatsApp’.Theneedsofthecustomerarenotthat

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differenttocustomerselsewhere.Weneedtocreatevalueinruralareasandthenadaptabilitybecomesmucheasier”.1.4RegulatingforachangingfutureRegulatorsgloballyneedtolookatTVWhiteSpacesanddynamicspectrumaspartofthedevelopmentoftheirpolicyandregulatoryframework.Thereisnowaconsiderablebodyofregulatorywork–bothindevelopedanddevelopingcountries–thatprovidesusefultemplatescoveringallofthemajorissues.GloballyfutureregulationneedstoincorporateTVWhiteSpacesanddynamicspectrumapproachesforthreereasons:1.4.1 TheworkcarriedoutonTVWhiteSpaceslaysthefoundationforawideruse

ofsharedspectrum.Whilsttheremaynooverallspectrumcrunch,manycountriesmayexperiencespectrum“pinchpoints”whichmaylimittheavailabilityofincreasedbroadbandcapacity.Spectrumsharingisonewayofaddressingthisissue.

1.4.2 Dynamicspectrumoffersawayofgettingwideraccesstospectrumthrough

sharinginanenvironmentofgreaterspectrumdemands,incumbentsoperatinginvirtuallyallsoughtafterbands,andthelikelihoodofspectrumclearingbeinglow.DynamicspectrumcanalsocreatewaysofmeetingWi-Fispectrumdemandsinthemid-bandarea.

1.4.3 Forrural,remoteandunder-servedareas,TVWSspacestechnologycombinedwithsomeformofunlicensedorlowcostlicenseaccessoffersthekindofincentivesthatwillallowexistingoperatorsandnewentrantstocreatebusinessmodelsforareasthatarecurrentlyontheedgeofexistingaddressablemarkets.Thesesameincentiveswillallowmorefinanciallyefficientaccessforareaswithoutacommercialbusinesscase.

Alongsidetheseapproaches,regulators–particularlyfromdevelopingcountries–needtorethinktheapproachrequiredforthepaymentanduseofspectrum.DevelopingcountrieshavemanypotentialInternetusersbuttheyhavelowincomes.Themorethatischargedforspectrum–particularlyaccesstospectruminruralareas–theharderitwillbetocreateabusinessmodelthatallowsruralandotherlow-incomeuserstoconnect.TVWhiteSpacesprovidesananswertohowthisissuecanbeaddressedinawaythatisnotdetrimentaltoexistingprimaryspectrumholders.ButdevelopingcountryGovernmentsandRegulatorsneedtothinkveryhardabouthowtheysquarethefollowingpolicycircle.Themorerevenuestheygetfromspectrum,theharderitbecomesforthosewhoarepayingforthespectrumtoprovidelow-costinternetservicesforthoseonlowincomes.Whenmobilevoicewasfirstintroduced,internetaccesswasseenassomethingofaluxury.Butwiththe

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spreadofmobileInternetandthebenefitsitbrings,Governmentsandregulatorsneedtoensurethatthosebenefitsareavailabletoalloftheircitizens.

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AppendixA:BackgroundDocuments,VideosandLinksReports2017AffordabilityReport,AllianceforAffordableInternet:http://a4ai.org/affordability-report/report/2017/AnalystAngle:3.5GHzand5G–learningfromtheTVwhitespacedebaclehttp://www.rcrwireless.com/20160810/opinion/3-5-ghz-and-5g-learning-from-the-tv-white-space-debacle-tag9BaselineMeasurementandEvaluationReportfortheMawinguProjectinLaikipia,Kenya,RichardThanki/ECSPartnersLtd,July2015CentreforWhiteSpaceCommunications,UniversityofStrathclyde:http://www.wirelesswhitespace.org/ComparingCostsofDeployingTVWhiteSpaces(TVWS)andLongTermEvolution(LTE)Networks,UmairQayyum,TechMahindraforMicrosoft,9May2016ConnectingAfricaUsingtheTVWhiteSpaces:FromResearchtoRealWorldDeployments,SidneyRoberts,PaulGarnett,RanveerChandra,MicrosoftCorporation,IEEEJournal,2015DraftRegulationsontheuseofTelevisionWhiteSpacesforpublicconsultation:GovernmentGazetteNo.40772_Notice_283,ICASA,10April2017:https://www.icasa.org.za/LegislationRegulations/EngineeringTechnology/RadioFrequencySpectrumManagement/NationalFrequencyPlan/tabid/655/ctl/ItemDetails/mid/2506/ItemID/15025/Default.aspxTheearlysocialandeconomicimpactofMawinguincertainlocationsinLaikipia,ECSPartnersLtdforMicrosoft,2016GoogleSpectrumDatabase:https://www.google.com/get/spectrumdatabase/ICTInfrastructuraldevelopmentinthedevelopingworld,JonathanPinifolo(Editor)Lambert,5Jan2017ImplementingTVWhiteSpaces,Ofcom–Astatement,12February2015PositionPaperonDynamicandOpportunisticSpectrumManagementGovernmentGazetteNo.40772Notice282of2017,ICASA,10April2017:https://www.icasa.org.za/LegislationRegulations/EngineeringTechnology/RadioFrequencySpectrumManagement/NationalFrequencyPlan/tabid/655/ctl/ItemDetails/mid/2506/ItemID/15024/Default.aspx

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AproposedarchitecturetoconnectTanzania’suniversitiestobroadbandinternetservices,RichardThanki,February2015TVwhitespacereusingoldspectrumininnovativeways-Networkshop44http://www.slideshare.net/JISC/tv-white-space-reusing-old-spectrum-in-innovative-ways-networkshop44SteveSong,ManyPossibilities:https://manypossibilities.net/category/tv-white-spaces/TVwhitespace:The'mostpowerfuldevelopmenttool?':https://www.devex.com/news/tv-white-space-the-most-powerful-development-tool-88868TVwhitespaces:approachtocoexistence,Ofcom,4September2013:https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/white-space-coexistenceTVWhiteSpaceDevicesStandardsandRequirements,GovernmentofCanada,5February2015:http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=928599WorldwideCommercialDeploymentsandTrials,DynamicSpectrumAlliance,January2016:http://dynamicspectrumalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Pilots-and-Trials-Brochure_Jan-16.pdfVideosPaulMitchellexplainsMicrosoft'sTVWhiteSpacespilotsandwhyitthinksTVWSisimportanthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg28a6dnPGQKaiWulffonGoogle'sTVWhiteSpacespilotsandwhytheyareimportantfordevelopingcountrieshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrcvCX0VDE