[SFDXA] FCC to unleash unlicesed spectrum to relieve 'Wi-Fi traffic jam'

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 From Chuck W4ROA


        FCC to unleash unlicensed spectrum to relieve 'Wi-Fi traffic jam'

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    Shared-spectrum scheme with the Department of Defense
    By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco
    <http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2013/01/10/fcc_wi_fi_speactrum_increase/>
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    <http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Rik%20Myslewski>
    Posted in Networks <http://www.theregister.co.uk/networks/>, 10th
    January 2013 00:04 GMT <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/10/>
    The US Federal Communication Commission has announced plans to open
    up a chunk of unlicensed spectrum to relieve the "Wi-Fi traffic
    jam," according to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.
    "We're announcing today that we're moving to free up a substantial
    amount of spectrum for Wi-Fi to relieve Wi-Fi congestion and improve
    Wi-Fi speeds at conferences and airports and ultimately in people's
    homes," Genachowski said at CES 2013 on Wednesday.
    Genachowski said that there has been plenty of talk – and action –
    about the licensed-spectrum crunch because spectrum needs to be
    freed to satisfy America's insatiable thirst for broadband data
    access on their smartphones and tablets. But Wi-Fi needs some love,
    as well, he said.
    "There's also a Wi-Fi traffic jam," he said, "and anyone who's been
    to conferences and airports knows that it's true. And when you see
    what's going on on the [CES 2013 show] floor, and you see how much
    more video that wants to travel over Wi-Fi networks, you realize
    that we've got to do something about this."
    The spectrum that will be freed up is in the 5GHz band, and is
    currently in use by the US government, namely the US Department of
    Defense and other agencies. "As in other areas," Genachowski said,
    "we are convinced the spectrum can be shared."
    As one example of such sharing, he cited the Commission's unanimous
    approval last year of "mobile body area networks", or MBAN
    <http://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-proposal-spur-innovation-medical-body-area-networks>s,
    that hospitals use to wirelessly connect patients to sensors and
    other equipment. The spectrum that WBANs use will be shared with
    that used by a government agency – "I think it's air telemetry,"
    Genachowski said, "but I could be wrong."
    The new Wi-Fi spectrum won't magically appear tomorrow, however. "We
    have a lot of work to do on this," he said, "particularly with the
    federal agencies that have the spectrum, but it's going to be a
    terrific example of spectrum sharing when we get it done."
    Genachowski said that there has already been work done on defining
    the parameters of freeing up the new Wi-Fi spectrum, but the FCC
    doesn't want to wait. "We're moving forward at a Commission
    proceeding next month," he said, "because we don't want to wait
    until we've worked out every problem and say, 'Okay, now we've done
    it.' We're moving forward with it, and we're going to work out the
    problems as we go."
    Promises of more spectrum are all well and good, but exactly how
    much spectrum is Genachowski talking about? "We believe we can
    increase the amount of 5GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi by 35 per cent," he
    said. "If that number's wrong I'll stand corrected." ®