Radio Frequency Spectrum: Running Out or Reusing?

1. Are we really running out of Radio Frequency Spectrum? Presented by Tan Geok Leng (CTO, IDA) 15th May 2008

2. Agenda • About Singapore and IDA Singapore • Wireless in Singapore • Radio spectrum reform is becoming a global issue • Are we really running out of radio frequency spectrum? • Opportunities to reuse under-utilised bands

3. 1 About Singapore and IDA Singapore

4. Singapore : A Hub for Asia Seaport Connectivity Airport, Seaport and IT connectivity China • World’s BEST Quality for Port Infrastructure (2006) • Best Seaport in Asia (2006) • 24.8m TEUs handled (2006) • 600k CBU car transshipment (largest in Asia) • 200 Different Shipping Lines • 130 Country Links, 600 Ports • Daily sailings to every majorport in the world South Korea Europe Japan Pakistan Nepal Taiwan Hong Kong MiddleEast Bangladesh India Laos USA Thailand The Philippines Cambodia Sri Lanka Malaysia Brunei Airport Connectivity Australia New Zealand Indonesia • 1st in the World for Quality of Air Transportation (World Competitiveness Yearbook 2006) • 83 Scheduled Airlines • 57 Country Links • >180 City Links • >4,100 flights per week Internet Connectivity • 2nd in World’s Most ‘Network’ Ready’ Country, after US (2006) • Capacity of 28Tbps (May 06) • Extensive and Direct Internet Connectivity to >30 countries (30.62 Gpbs)

5. ASEAN Jordan Korea Panama Chile-NZ-Brunei Canada India Qatar Peru Gulf Cooperation Council Pakistan ASEAN-India ASEAN-Korea (Goods) ASEAN-Korea (Services and Investment) ASEAN-Japan ASEAN-Australia-NZ Economic Linkages via FTAs FTAs Concluded / In Force 60% of World GDP Australia NZ US Japan ASEAN-China (Goods & Services) Upcoming FTAs ASEAN-China (Investment)

6. About IDA Singapore • Statutory board under Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MICA) • Overview of IDA’s Roles • Planning & Policy Development • Formulate national infocomm masterplans, policies and technology road maps • Competition Development (Regulation) • Implement a regulatory framework that will ensure a fair and balanced competitive environment in the telecoms industry

7. About IDA Singapore • Industry Development • Promote and develop infocomm industries and manpower • Facilitate infocomm adoption and usage in businesses and society • Chief Information Officer to Government • Architect e-government plans and manage infocomm systems deployment in the government

8. Wireless in Singapore 2

9. Wireless in Singapore (Cellular)

10. Wireless in Singapore (3G)

11. Wireless in Singapore (Wireless@SG) • CFC awarded to 3 service providers • iCELL • QMAX • Singtel • Coverage includes • Downtown areas • Major HDB town centres • Recreational areas • Number of hotspots • 600 in Dec 06, 7,800 in Feb 08

12. Phase 1 (2006-2008): Wi-Fi Hotspots to Wi-Fi Hot Zones Integrate into zones … and expand to cover key catchment areas

13. Phase 2 (2008 Onwards): Integrate Other Wireless Broadband Technologies When Ready Integrate into zones … and expand to cover key catchment areas

14. Wireless in Singapore (Ultra-Wideband)

15. Wireless in Singapore (Ultra-Wideband) • Telecommunication Dealer’s Licence from IDA (https://licences.business.gov.sg)

16. 3 Radio Spectrum Reform is becoming a Global Issue

17. Wireless is key enabler for many economically important applications

18. Much of the spectrum is already allocated

19. Addressing the “Scarcity” Issue • Retire older/legacy services • DTV replacing analogue TV • Refarm 900MHz GSM for 3G • Use Market Mechanism to allocate (auction) • e.g. 3G spectrum auction • Reclaim and refarm of military bands (Ofcom) • New Technologies to solve the problem • UWB technology develop to transmit at very low power (spectrum underlay) • Spectrum-Agile Technology being developed to opportunistically take advantage of gaps in spectrum utilization (spectrum overlay)

20. Spectrum-Agile Technologies Technologies and system concepts to dynamically use spectrum and increase spectrum access Sensing and Adaptation are key attributes for SAT Sensing (Aware of spectrum usage in vicinity, makes intelligent decisions on that basis, and reacts) Adaptation (quickly adapts transmission Characteristics) Sense Real time, low power, wideband monitoring Characterize Rapid waveform determination React and Adapt Transition Network to new emission plan

21. Opportunistic use of spectrum ‘white-space’ White-space devices Detect spectrum ‘white-space’ in the spectrum Characterizing the Environment Evaluation and Knowledge Formation Decision Processes

22. How SAT may be used? (not exhaustive) • Potentially allow multiple wireless services to share spectral bands with minimal interference • Possible scenarios: • Pre-allocated bands for SAT • Secondary usage with permission from primary owner • Possible application: • Enabling of a low-cost and adaptive high-speed bandwidth internet service

23. SAT in Other Countries: FCC (2002) • Set up by Chairman Powell, headed by Paul Kolozdy • Spectrum access versus scarcity • New methods as a solution to access • Interference tolerance • Need to define rights and responsibilities • Recommendations • Modernizing the regulatory model • Increase access to spectrum • New interference management technique • Legislative recommendations

24. FCC’s NPRMs on Cognitive Radio • NPRM on CR to facilitate opportunities for flexible, efficient and reliable spectrum using CR (Dec 03) • Authorization and use of Cognitive Radio • Licensee can make more efficient use of their own spectrum • Secondary markets: Based on agreements between licensees and third parties • NPRM on Unlicensed operation in UHF Band (May 04) • The unlicensed devices should not cause interference to existing TV broadcast stations; TV Booster Stations, wireless microphones and Land Mobile Radio Services • Operation in Channels 5 to 13 and 21 to 51 (76 to 698MHz); Channel 14-20 permitted in rural areas • Person/portable devices (peak power 100mW) and Fixed access devices (Peak power 1W) are permitted

25. FCC’s Report on White Space Detection • OET (Office of Engineering & Technology) Issued a report on 31st July 07 • WSD using DAA should be required to find signals as low as -116 dBm • Finding of two prototypes of whites space devices (WSD) submitted by Microsoft and Philips Source: FCC/OET 07-TR-1006 Source: FCC/OET 07-TR-1006

26. SAT by ITU-R (WP8A and WP5D) ITU-R WP 5D considers regulatory implications of cognitive radio (29th Feb 08) To study whether there is a need for regulatory measures related to the application of cognitive radio system technologies To study whether there is a need for regulatory measures related to the application of software-defined radio ITU-R WP 8A ITU-R Working Party 8A: Draft New ITU-R Report “Software Defined Radios in the Land Mobile Service” ITU-R Working Party 8F: Draft New ITU-R Report “The impact of Software Defined Radio on IMT-2000, the future development of IMT-2000, and systems beyond IMT-2000”

27. SAT by Standard and Industry • IEEE 802 Working Group • 802.22 - IEEE 802.22 is working on technical requirements to ensure coexistence of WBA (white space devices) with broadcast services • 802.16h – License-Exempt operation of IEEE 802.16 • 802.11y - CBP in 3.65-3.70 GHz band in US • IEEE P1900: Working groups for reconfigurable, heterogeneous air interfaces • SDR Forum:Technical and regulatory considerations for SDR and Cognitive Radio • WINNER: Wireless World Initiative New Radio concentrating on radio access for future mobile communications systems • XG: DARPA’s neXt Generation communications via the dynamic redistribution of the allocated spectrum • E2R: End-to-end re-configurability to give more choice to network users, includes aspects on reconfigurable technology

28. 4 Are we really running out of radio frequency spectrum?

29. Searching for the ‘White Space’ OBJECTIVE To perform spectrum usage study and to identify ‘white space’ in radio spectrum Serve as input for future radio spectrum policy making SCOPE Spectrum scanning conducted for frequency bands from 54MHz to 5.8GHz in Singapore Outdoor Environment (I2R - Open Space) Measurement data collected 24x7 for duration of two weeks Plot spectrum usage with respect to time Map spectrum usage to IDA’s different spectrum allocations Identify spectrum holes

30. Measurement Methodology Maximum signal strength during 24-hour period of observation versus frequency Occupancy versus time and frequency Occupancy of the observed frequency band is based on the threshold set as the lowest signal strength in the observed bandwidth + 6 dB The fraction of time the signal is above the threshold versus frequency Limitations of present study! Snap shot only, single geographic area, limited sample size Signal detection threshold

31. Measurement Setup Cabinet Low Loss Cable Tripod

32. Frequency Band: 54 MHz – 174 MHz Fixed/ Mobile land Marine Navi, PMR, amateur radio, SRD Fixed/Mobile (land) localized PMR,SRD FM radio Aeronautical threshold = -94.5 dBm High Occupancy 06:00h 00:00h 18:00h 12:00h 06:00h Moderate Occupancy average duty cycle = 0.2902

33. Average Spectrum Usage < 5% Average spectrum usage over time and selected frequency range is below 5% ! UHF Band VHF Band 3G Band (UL) C-Band FSS GSM Band (UL) ISM (WiFi)

34. Observations • Average Spectrum usage over time and selected frequency range is below 5% • Frequencies above 1GHz are relatively under utilized except for cellular bands • Frequency utilization is normally higher during day time compared to night time, however the difference on average spectrum usage is negligible • Although some frequencies are used, the duty cycle is quite low • Low utilization bands represent opportunity for innovative services • Reuse of under-utilized Bands (e.g. Foreign TV channels and C-Band) • Wireless Broadband Services • Low-power, short distance or in-house transmissions

35. 5 Opportunities to reuse under utilized spectrum

36. Opportunities to reuse under-utilized Bands • Opportunity to reuse foreign TV channels Malaysia’s TV (e.g. RTM TV2) Indonesia’s TV (Batam TVR1) Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9 Ch10 Ch11 Ch12 Only three TV Channels are used in SG

37. Opportunities to reuse under-utilized Bands • We are already exploring reuse of under-utilized bands • With SAT, we may be able to do much more Malaysia’s TV (e.g. RTM TV2) Indonesia’s TV (Batam TVR1) Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9 Ch10 Ch11 Ch12 (11D) DAB Channel in SG Wireless Microphone channel used in SG (9B) DAB Channel in SG (7B, C & D) DAB Channels in SG

38. Proposed Next Steps (1/2) Studied spectrum usage pattern in Singapore To identify spectrum ‘white-space’ Feasibility Studies for use of WSD in Singapore Use of WBA in UHF bands Use of Short Range Devices Technical Assessment (Lab) to proof that WSD does not caused interference Co-existence with legacy radio systems Protection of existing radio services Using beacons and ‘safe harbour’ concept Using “Listen-before-talk’ and ‘Dynamic Frequency Selection’ techniques Use of common data base for dynamic allocation

39. Proposed Next Steps (2/2) Create SAT Test-bed in Singapore Validate efficient use of WSD in Singapore Validate dynamic spectrum licensing requirement and procedure Recommendation of SAT Regulatory Framework Minimize potential regulatory burdens Protection thresholds Power limit Spectral masks Contribution to International SAT efforts, to influence the international regulatory policy APT, ITU & WRC11 Standard (e.g. IEEE 802.22)