Japan's NICT develops Wi-Fi prototype for TV white space

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) announced what it is calling the world's first Wi-Fi prototype for TV white space (TVWS) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11af draft specification. Others use the term "White-Fi" to describe the use of a Wi-Fi technology within TV white space. NICT's system, developed for use on unused spectrum in the 470 MHz-710 MHz range that sits between TV channels, is the first prototype that verifies the physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layer design of the stable draft standard, dubbed Draft 2.0, released last month. The prototype worked with a TV white space database created by NICT, and the full MAC spec of the secured protocol is designed to protect licensed TV broadcasters. The prototype also worked with an NICT-developed registered location secure server (RLSS), which is defined in the 802.11af draft standard to avoid interference with other TV white space users. IEEE may complete the 802.11af standard by 2014, said NICT. For more on the institute's prototype, see this release.