The Myth of

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The Myth of Spectrum Scarcity
Steve Song Telecommunications Fellow Shuttleworth
Foundation email steve.song_at_shuttleworthfoundat
ion.org blog http//manypossibilities.net skype
steve_l_song twitter stevesong
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(No Transcript)
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What Is Spectrum?
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Why Does Spectrum Need To Be Managed?
Interference
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Spectrum - Public or Private Good
Excludable
Non-Excludable
Private goods food, clothing, toys, furniture,
cars
Common goods / (Common-pool resources) fish,
hunting game, water
Rival
Non-Rival
Club goods satellite television
Public goods national defense, free-to-air
television, air
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The Communications Spectrum
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All Spectrum Is Not Created Equal
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Source The Mobile Provide Economic Impacts of
Alternative Uses of the Digital Dividend
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All Spectrum Is Not Created Equal
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Cooper's Law
Cooper's Law
Every 30 months the amount of information that be
can transmitted over a given amount of radio
spectrum doubles.
http//www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/tq/disp
layStory.cfm?story_id13725793
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The core of today's spectrum policy was developed
in the 1930s...
which was fine until...
King Farouk in the inauguration of the
international telecommunications congress 1938
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...until the explosive growth of
Internet
Mobile
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...until the explosive growth of
So what needs to happen?
Internet
Mobile
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1) Audit and publish spectrum use
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1) Audit and publish spectrum use

• 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

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1) Audit and publish spectrum use
A recent spectrum audit of Dublin, Ireland showed
that only 14 of available spectrum was in use. -
Irish Communications Market Key Data Report

• 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

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2) Standards for transparency and equity in
spectrum auctions
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2) Standards for transparency and equity in
spectrum auctions

• Recent spectrum auction in the United States of
  the 700Mhz band resulted in 20 billion USD
  revenue for government.

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2) Standards for transparency and equity in
spectrum auctions
Without good governance, natural resource wealth
turns out to be worse for poor countries than if
they hadnt had those resources at all. - Paul
Collier The Bottom Billion

• Recent spectrum auction in the United States of
  the 700Mhz band resulted in 20 billion USD
  revenue for government.

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3) Start sharing spectrum
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3) Start sharing spectrum
Lite Licensing Sept 26, 2008 802.11y-2008
lite licensing standard approved by the IEEE
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3) Start sharing spectrum

• Serendipitous Re-Use
• Nov 4, 2008 Unlicensed use of Television White
  Spaces spectrum approved in the United States

Lite Licensing Sept 26, 2008 802.11y-2008
lite licensing standard approved by the IEEE
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OpportuniesinSouth Africa
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Industry Alliance in the United States

• Television White Spaces
• Use of television guard bands
• Digital dividend spectrum
• Serendipitous re-use

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(No Transcript)
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The Cost of Not Engaging
...fixing bad spectrum regulation can take a
generation or more
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Steve Song email steve.song_at_shuttleworthfoundati
on.org blog http//manypossibilities.net skype
steve_l_song twitter stevesong
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Creative Commons
Martin Cooper by Rico Shen http//en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/File2007Computex_e21Forum-MartinCooper.jpg
Hand Holding a Mobile Phone by WhiteAfrican http/
/www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/2736565604/
Water Amplifier by mdezemery http//www.flickr.com
/photos/mdezemery/295687769/
We share this... by Miguel Ramirez http//www.flic
kr.com/photos/ibizadj/323305938/
Seattle Raindrops and Flash by by
Spappy.joneS http//www.flickr.com/photos/swift/94
108224/
King Farouk in the inauguration of the
international telecommunications congress 1938 by
KodakAgfa http//www.flickr.com/photos/96884693_at_N0
0/1509615338/
Other photos courtesy of http//www.istockphoto.co
m