SA ICT Policy, Law and Regulation Session 11 – Spectrum

What Is Spectrum?

Why Does Spectrum Need

To Be Managed?

Interference

Spectrum - Public or Private Good

RivalRival

Non-Non-RivalRival

ExcludableExcludable Non-ExcludableNon-Excludable

Private goodsPrivate goodsfood, clothing, toys, furniture, cars

Common goods / Common goods / (Common-pool resources)(Common-pool resources)fish, hunting game, water

Club goodsClub goodssatellite television

Public goodsPublic goodsnational defense, free-to-air television, air

FM RadioFM Radio

TelevisionTelevision

MobileMobile

WiMaxWiMax

WiFiWiFi

The Communication

Spectrum

Better Propagation

Better Propagation

More bandwidth per Hertz

More bandwidth per Hertz

All Spectrum Is Not Created

Equal

Source: The Mobile Provide: Economic Impacts of Alternative Uses of the Digital Dividend

Better Propagation

Better Propagation

More bandwidth per Hertz

More bandwidth per Hertz

All Spectrum Is Not Created

Equal

The core of The core of today's today's spectrum spectrum policy was policy was developed developed in the in the 1930s...1930s...

King Farouk in the inauguration of the international telecommunications congress 1938King Farouk in the inauguration of the international telecommunications congress 1938

which was fine until... which was fine until...

...until the explosive growth of...until the explosive growth of

InternetInternet MobileMobile

So is spectrum scarce now?So is spectrum scarce now?

“According to the best

available data, at any

one place and any

one time in the U.S. it

is likely that less

than 10% of available

spectrum is in use.”

- Sascha Meinrath, New America

Foundation

A recent spectrum

audit of Dublin,

Ireland showed that

only 14% of available

spectrum was in use.

- Irish Communications

Market: Key Data Report

Imagine a conference centre...

..where each room might correspond to a spectrum band.

Or many conference centres...

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

Access to any conference room A anywhere, anytime.

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

Spectrum is allocated like slices of a pie

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

Guard bands

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

Unlicensed Spectrum

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

WiFi

licensedvs.

unlicensed

power output

has a lot to do with

it

Cooper's Law

Every 30 months Every 30 months the amount of the amount of information that be information that be can transmitted can transmitted over a given amount over a given amount of radio spectrum of radio spectrum doubles.doubles.

Cooper's Law

http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13725793http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13725793

How is spectrum allocated?How is spectrum allocated? First come, first serve Auctions Beauty Contest

Recent spectrum

auction in the United

States of the 700Mhz

band resulted in 20

billion USD revenue

for government.

Without good

governance, natural

resource wealth turns

out to be worse for

poor countries than if

they hadn’t had those

resources at all.

- Paul Collier – The Bottom Billion

Alternative approaches to Alternative approaches to spectrum managementspectrum management

Unlicensed useUnlicensed use Primary and Secondary UsePrimary and Secondary Use Serendipitious Re-useSerendipitious Re-use Lite Licensed approachesLite Licensed approaches MicropaymentsMicropayments Experimental licensesExperimental licenses Administrative incentivesAdministrative incentives

Lite Licensing

Sept 26, 2008 – 802.11y-

2008 “lite licensing”

standard approved by

the IEEE

Serendipitous

Re-Use

Nov 4, 2008 – Unlicensed

use of Television White

Spaces spectrum

approved in the United

States

Television white spaces

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

11

22

33EE

11

22

33EE

22

22

33EE

Lite licensed approachindustry self-regulation

Johannesburg Cape Town

Durban

FM RadioFM Radio

TelevisionTelevision

MobileMobile

WiMaxWiMax

WiFiWiFi

Opportunitiesin

South Africa

802.11y “lite

licensing”

TelevisionWhite

Spaces

Digital Dividend Spectrum

un-usedgovernment

spectrum

Getting it right

...fixing inefficient spectrum regulation can

take a generation or more

Steve Songemail: steve.song@shuttleworthfoundation.orgblog: http://manypossibilities.net

skype: steve_l_songtwitter: stevesong

Creative C

om

mo

ns

Hand Holding a Mobile Phone by WhiteAfricanhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/2736565604/

We share this... by Miguel Ramirezhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ibizadj/323305938/

Other photos courtesy of http://www.istockphoto.com

King Farouk in the inauguration of the international telecommunications congress 1938 by KodakAgfahttp://www.flickr.com/photos/96884693@N00/1509615338/

Martin Cooper by Rico Shenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2007Computex_e21Forum-MartinCooper.jpg

Water Amplifier by mdezemeryhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mdezemery/295687769/

Seattle Raindrops and Flash by by Spappy.joneShttp://www.flickr.com/photos/swift/94108224/

Pigeon Point by John Curleyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_que/2042143317/