In Florida, a Cell Phone Network With No Need For a Spectrum License 107
holy_calamity writes "Technology Review reports on a cell phone network in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, like no other. Instead of paying to reserve a section of wireless spectrum its owner, xG Technology, uses cognitive radios that steer signals through the unlicensed 900MHz band more normally used by cordless phones and baby monitors. The radios in both handset and base station scan for gaps left by other devices in that band and make dynamic connections that constantly hop frequencies to ensure a good link. The network is designed to show off the tech, which the company says could be used in conventional cellphones to access extra spectrum or white spaces devices."
Re:Hello football game (Score:1, Insightful)
Trolling, or just RTFS fail? Considering it's commodore64_fuck (1445365), it's always hard to tell...
This isn't a white-space device running in "unused" TV channels, it's using unlicensed spectrum, just like bluetooth and wifi. The only other thing in this band is... other unlicensed devices, all talking over top of each other. It ends up a lot like 2.4GHz wifi, of course -- too many people transmit all at once, raising the noise floor, so everyone has to retransmit more, and eventually it becomes practically useless in all urban areas. Tragedy of the commons and all.
But since TV broadcasters pay for TV-licensed spectrum, what it won't do is disrupt your precious TV.
kind of an annoying name (Score:3, Insightful)
"Cognitive radio"?
A protocol that continually finds and hops to not-interfered-with frequencies is perhaps "intelligent" in a generic sort of way, but calling it "cognition" is a bit weird. It's pretty standard communications-theory stuff.
Re:Hello football game (Score:1, Insightful)
Yes. Like you, I can read.
Apparently unlike you, I know what "augment" means.
Re:It isn't going to work (Score:3, Insightful)
Also, why am I now being forced to preview? Maybe I like making errors.
Slashdot wasn't losing users at a fast enough rate, so this is part of a new program to piss those of us off that have been here for many years, and get us to finally leave forever. It is about to work.
Re:It isn't going to work (Score:5, Insightful)
Thank you. Finally restored the old, crappy, but understood format. I wish Slashdot would spend less time writing code, and more time reading and editing articles if they really want to improve the site. I'm just hanging by a thread as it is.
Re:This could be distributed/home grown GSM's brea (Score:2, Insightful)
To be clear, in Europe, the 900MHz band is currently used for straight GSM and EDGE. UMTS/WCDMA (GSM 3G) runs on the 1800/2100 MHz band pair. In the USA, the AWS band pair (used by T-Mobile) is a subset of that. It uses the lower half of the 1800MHz for uplink, and the lower half of the 2100MHz band for downlink (which is why it is referred to as the 1700/2100 MHz band pair). T-Mobile uses the 1900MHz band for GSM, but also supports the 850MHz band for roaming, since AT&T uses that band. AT&T's UMTS bands are 850MHz OR 1900MHz. Most areas use the 1900MHz band, but rural areas use 850MHz.
Re:It isn't going to work (Score:2, Insightful)
FUCKING SAMZENPUS - DON'T *EVER* LET ME FIND OUT WHERE YOU LIVE, ASSHOLE. I WILL RIP YOU A NEW ASSHOLE FOR YOUR BULLSHIT.
You're a big fucking idiot for posting anything like this, anywhere, ever. Calm down, have some dip.
Lameness filter encountereLameness filLameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
ter encountered. Post aborted!
Filter error: Don't use sLameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
o many caps. It'Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
s like YELLING.
d. Post aborted!
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.