Some example projects...
White Space Trial on the Isle of Bute
The centre is involved in a Collaborative R&D project on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, looking at extending Gigabit Ethernet Access via white space spectrum for rural broadband applications. The project is supported by the UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB), and involves a consortium of six collaborating partners...
Bute is a challenging environment for radio communication, with mountainous terrain, cliffs, and water. The trial makes use of UHF White Space frequencies in the TV band to provide wireless broadband connectivity to a number of homes in the south part of the island.
The project commenced in April 2011, and the first phase has involved building and installing the network, with TV White Space links from the local telephone exchange at Kilchattan Bay to individual trial premises, and a separate microwave backhaul link from the telephone exchange to the mainland.
The basic 'testbed' is now in place, and a number of trialists' homes now have broadband internet access. The 18-month project will go on to evaluate performance and radio characteristics of various types of White Space kit under varying conditions. Bute is an ideal location for such a testbed; it has sparsely-populated communities and challenging terrain, while at the same time being within easy reach of Glasgow.
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