The Federal Communications Commission will commence a 45-day trial of the Telcordia White Space Database, which is intended to provide public access to the database to test for various standards.

FCC officials said the trial, which will begin on Dec. 7, is being established to confirm that the database system correctly identifies channels that are available for unlicensed radio transmitting devices that operate in the TV band (unlicensed TV band devices), properly registers those facilities entitled to protection, and provides protection to authorized services and registered facilities as specified in its rules.  

Officials with Telcordia, a developer of mobile, broadband and enterprise communications software and services, explained that following the move from analog to digital television broadcast resulted in unused spectrum known as white space, which has become available for unlicensed use.  

“White space device manufacturers will find Telcordia to be a valuable and reliable partner as they prepare to launch products in the U.S. and around the world,” said John Malyar, chief architect, Interconnection Solutions, Telcordia. “We encourage the public, vendors, and interested parties to participate in the FCC’s public trial of the Telcordia White Space Database.”

New markets in the U.S. and worldwide are being created for white space devices to access spectrum offering new services such as wireless broadband internet connectivity.  

According to Telcordia, devices in the U.S. are required to query a TV Bands Database to obtain a list of channels that are available for their operation to ensure continued protection of licensed services.

In the U.S., company officials said the Telcordia White Space Database calculates protected contours in accordance with FCC-designated rules and provides a list of available channels that TV Bands White Space devices can use based on their location. The Telcordia White Space Database will also be able to register other FCC-protected sites, such as MVPD receive sites, broadcast auxiliary temporary receive sites, or wireless microphones.

To access Telcordia’s TV band database test facility, go to:

https://prism.telcordia.com/tvws/home/trial.