Some Questions for the Wireless Future

Cybersalon and Open Spectrum UK conference
FUTURE WIRELESS: Pracical.discourse.creative
at the Science Museum's Dana Centre, 4 October 2005
~ event website here ~

Thinkpiece

John Wilson, Open Spectrum UK: Some Questions for the Wireless Future.

An investigation into Future Wireless.

The future horizon promises a ubiquitous IP communications environment of instant access and innovative business and everyday uses, with wireless playing a key role in the brave new converged world.

The Cybersalon and Open Spectrum UK conference FUTURE WIRELESS: Pracical.discourse.creative at the Science Museum's Dana Centre, 4 October 2005 scans the horizon of wireless communications and explores its emerging landscape ecology to present an investigation into Future Wireless.

We present three parallel strands of programming – practical, discourse and creative – with a mix of presentation, demonstration, practical workshop, artistic intervention and debate, to demonstrate and probe the nature, impact and potential of the wireless Internet, mobile telecommunications and other radio-based technologies.

Entering the phase space of wireless communications

We bring together an international gathering of technlogists, developers, industry players, artists, academics and activists to share perspectives across the sectoral and disciplinary divides.

Our visions and strategies as we enter the phase space of digital being and wireless communications? The following questions provide some initial triggers for debate. These questions are echoed throughout the conference proceedings, as we explore the current ground, immediate prospects and future horizon of wireless communications.

* The Cybernetic wireless dream? How are wireless technologies changing our personal and social spaces – or how are our personal and social spaces shaping wireless technologies?

* Wireless utopia or dystopia? Has wireless technology liberated communication or revealed a darker, more dysfunctional side to our natures?

* Broadcast or “narrowcast”? Are we moving towards a telco-centric or a user-centric world of mobile wireless communications? Can we realise the promise of the Internet as the great agora - the conversation of the many-to-many – and create an open future of decentralized communication systems and user-generated content?

* Broadband - DIFM or DIY? (do-it-for-me or do-it-yourself?) Why should you build your own free wireless network and how do you do it?

* The Invisible Wealth of Nations? Should the radio spectrum be seen as a “market commodity” or a “national resource” and what is the future of wireless communications and the strategic prospects for utilising the radio spectrum?

* Will we realize the new paradigm of a digital IP-based world predicated upon bandwidth abundance? - A world of ubiquitous communications for the empowerment of communities and user-producers? Or will we remain tethered to the incumbent telco/cableco/mobileco's closed paradigm of bandwidth scarcity, and the consumer's dependence upon their conduit/content?

* Towards Gigabit Britain? More Wi-Fi means more fibre? Gigabit to the home, gigabit on the move? Gigabit devices and gigabit core network, in search of sentient beings to connect them? Propelled by Moore's Law, Metcalfe's Law, Gilder's Law, Reed's Law and Googin's Law? Gigabit meme.

* The Global Digital Commons? - A world in which innovation, creativity and enterprise flourishes upon the foundation principles of openness - Open Networks, Open Source and Open Spectrum?

* By what r/evolutionary process do we arrive at the future communications landscape ecology? A Darwinian process of migratory strategies, or a Schumpeterian scenario of creative destruction?

Do we find a convergence of visions towards the wireless future?

Some technology observations: Towards an Open Spectrum policy?

“Open Spectrum" is the discourse of an emerging international public advocacy movement for spectrum reform, inspired by a vision of public access and technology innovation. Open Spectrum UK openspectrum.org.uk seeks to engage the public interest agenda for the exploitation of the strategic national resource of the radio spectrum. Open spectrum UK argues for a healthy mix of the commercial and the public interest, of licensed and licence-exempt access to the radio spectrum, to deliver an open future for wireless in which innovation and creativity thrive.

The radio spectrum presents the new frontier of the digital revolution, what we may call the "Invisible Wealth of Nations". Open Spectrum UK argues for a balance of the commercial and the public interest in access to and use of the radio spectrum. We need to engage wider public debate on the future of this strategic national resource. For the definition and institutionalization of the rights of access to the radio spectrum is one of the keys to our future communications ecology.

Looking forward to debate on Future Wireless, at the Cybersalon & Open Spectrum UK day conference at the Science Museum's Dana Centre, London, 4 October 2005, Open Spectrum UK has permission to publish the following technology observations from celebrated technology futurist Peter Cochrane, BT's former Chief Technologist and co-founder of ConceptLabs.

Peter Cochrane, Some industry and technology observations: Submission to the Ofcom Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings (IASH) (9 July 2005) (See note below on the IASH)

1. A raft of new (high speed m-processor) technologies will see more spread spectrum systems at lower prices.

2. At the same time there will be more and more services and applications than ever before with short range usage becoming largely dominant.

3. Power, multi-path (MIMO), diversity, interference management will become far more sophisticated.

4. Interference will increasingly become a non-issue.

5. DIY wireless systems will overtake the professionals.

6. The public, and companies, will increasingly be prepared to just do it no matter what!

7. Most of the spectrum most of the time isn't used.

8. The ultimate adaptation will come within the next 10 years with software defined radios + adaptable antennas + free spectrum searching.

9. The future is far more likely to be dominated by the small/individual user rather than the giant corporation - and in both realms the opportunity for making more money from spectrum sales/renting will most likely diminish with time - the real wealth will be generated by the freedom to move bits and provide services that service and support business.

This all leads to the notion of a band free future, or at least a vast relaxation of banding top down with far looser definitions and control. It is feasible to start with all frequencies above 60GHz and slowly migrate down toward 1 - 10 GHz.

There is also now a good case for new applications and services operating at or below the noise level of all existing channels from 1MHz to 30GHz (including radio & TV broadcast) for short range data applications.

The equipment to do all of this is under development and will be available within the decade. If we do nothing it will just happen anyway!

Peter Cochrane, 9 July 2005

Open Spectrum UK comment: An open wireless future beyond bands?

Peter Cochrane's industry and technology observations on wireless technology trends highlight a future wireless world beyond the current regulatory mindset. For the emergent technology paradigm of shared spectrum use across bands, moves beyond the traditional spectrum management policy model for the regulation of the radio spectrum according to bands.

Hence Peter Cochrane's industry and technology observations inject some "uncommon sense" into the Ofcom spectrum policy review, the Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings. Informed public debate upon the strategic national resource of the radio spectrum has been conspicuous by its absence, as witness the Ofcom Spectrum Framework Review earlier this year which raised little press attention.

Perhaps the time is ripe for a fresh audit of regulatory thinking, to re-assess the technology, economic, and public policy tools for spectrum management policy. Perhaps also to engage wider public debate upon the strategic national resource of the radio spectrum, "The Invisible Wealth of Nations".

Note: The Ofcom Independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings (IASH, or Cave Audit of Spectrum Holdings)

See the IASH website http://www.spectrumaudit.org.uk/ , from which the following overview is taken:

The Chancellor announced in his December 2004 Pre-Budget Report that Professor Martin Cave would conduct a comprehensive independent Audit of Spectrum Holdings (IASH), with the aim of releasing the maximum amount of spectrum to the market and increasing opportunities for the development of innovative new services.

The public sector is the single biggest user of UK radio spectrum, with many holdings dating back to a time of limited demand and relatively unsophisticated technologies. The IASH has been established to determine the scope for increased commercial access to this spectrum to meet the growing demand for new wireless services. It builds on the principles set out in Martin Cave’s 2002 Review of Radio Spectrum Management, which set out the rationale for allocating the spectrum through market processes but did not examine specific spectrum allocations in any detail. As a result of the 2002 Review Ofcom is currently implementing spectrum liberalisation for private sector spectrum, to increase efficiency and innovation. However in some some cases, especially in the public sector, spectrum liberalisation alone cannot deliver optimal allocation into the future.

In July the Audit team issued a consultation document (which can by accessed through the link on the left of this page). Responses were invited by 1st September and can be accessed under the ‘Responses’ section of this website. The Audit's final report will be published in advance of the Pre Budget Report 2005.