Wireless Broadband Network on TVWS for Rural Areas: an Indian Perspective

Radio spectrum is a necessary barrier for flourishing of economic activities through provision of wireless services. The radio spectrum suitable for the propagation of wireless signals is a limited resource and hence requires optimal allocation as collectively dictated by regulatory, technical and market domains. The current global move to switch from analogue to digital TV has opened up an opportunity for the re-allocation of this valuable resource. In one way, spectrum bands once used for analogue TV broadcasting will be completely cleared, leaving a space for deploying new licensed wireless services, and in another way, digital television technology geographically interleaves spectrum bands to avoid interference between neighboring stations-leaving a space for deploying new unlicensed wireless services. The focus of the paper is to assess the availability of geographically interleaved spectrum, also known as television spectrum white spaces (TVWS) and proposing the wireless network scenarios for rural broadband connectivity.