In a move that will see more people in Africa online, support the continent’s tech innovation ecosystem and have schools connected, 17 African countries are discussing the benefits of utilising TV White Spaces, unused spectrum between TV stations.At a conference supported by Google, Microsoft, the Association for Progressive Communications, Afrinic and held last week in Dakar, Senegal 25 countries, 17 from Africa, joined the TV White Spaces & Dynamic Spectrum Africa Forum to discuss what’s next.
The event focused on a few key themes that highlight the potential of TV White Spaces technology and how the countries can use them for broadband access in underserved areas.
According to the forum, TV White Space have the potential to help cover the last mile of Internet access, one of the biggest challenges to improving connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa and other emerging markets.
The team added that TV White Spaces offer available and underutilized spectrum, allow signals to travel over long distances, and can enable a lower-cost alternative for broadband.
In Senegal, there is more than 90 MHz available in Dakar alone, and more across the country. The free spectrum could be turned over broadband.
According to Google, “Trials in Kenya, Malawi, Singapore, and the UK have demonstrated that white spaces can deliver broadband without interfering with licensed users of spectrum.
Google has also supported one such trial to provide broadband to 10 schools in Cape Town in partnership with CSIR Meraka Institute, TENET, e-Schools Network, the Wireless Access Providers’ Association, Comsol Wireless Solutions, Carlson Wireless, and Neul, . CSIR shared initial results from the trial, which demonstrate that TV White Spaces radios can operate without interfering with TV broadcast.
