RADWIN Debuts Outland PtMP TV White Space Solution

RADWIN, a global wireless broadband solutions provider, has announced the commercial availability of its new and advanced TV White Space PtMP solution, Outland.

Complementing RADWIN’s Fixed Wireless Access portfolio, Outland paves the way for service providers to connect unserved rural customers to the digital world using reliable, Non-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) broadband wireless connectivity that overcomes terrain and foliage obstructions. RADWIN developed the solution in collaboration with Microsoft’s Airband Initiative as part of their existing multi-year collaboration. Outland is available for commercial deployments in countries where TVWS is regulated, including the United States, United Kingdom, Colombia, South Africa, and Ghana.

Outland leverages on RADWIN’s state-of-the art technology and more than 20 years of fixed wireless access expertise. It introduces high capacity and interference resiliency unprecedented in the TVWS field. The Outland Base Station leverages sophisticated dual-carrier technology, ensuring greater capacity and channel selection flexibility. The Outland Subscriber Unit is a unique all-in-one, low visual impact radio with an integrated dual-pole antenna to simplify the installation and alignment process.

Alongside the Outland PtMP system, RADWIN introduces unique radio planning and spectrum analysis tools, that enable accurate TVWS performance prediction. Operating in challenging non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions, and in a spectrum populated with powerful TV broadcasting signals, service providers have experienced operational challenges in the past when adopting TVWS technologies. These last few months, RADWIN has invested in developing operational tools that would enable assessment of the terrain and foliage during the planning process as well as evaluation and identification of interference-free TVWS channels. These new tools and methodologies have been tested and validated in a variety of use cases and trials over the past few months and are now available to service providers adopting Outland.

“Spectrum availability is one of the biggest challenges in leveraging TVWS,” explains Adi Nativ, vice president of Global Business Development at RADWIN.“TVWS Databases and spectrum management schemes in this band exist to protect the incumbent broadcasters from TVWS radio interference. However, they do not indicate the channels in which TVWS solutions can operate without being interfered by ultra-strong TV broadcasters’ signals. RADWIN now enables service providers to employ powerful spectrum analysis tools, embedded in Outland radios, that together with WINPlan, our accurate radio planning tool, enables assessment of TVWS feasibility, and evaluates both its performance and its business case prior to deployment.”

The Outland solution will play a role in addressing the connectivity gap in hard-to-reach rural areas. This includes through Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, which aims to make high-speed internet more available and affordable by leveraging a variety of connectivity solutions. “TV White Space solutions are a powerful means of expanding broadband access, particularly for those living in rural, hard-to-reach areas,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative. “We are glad to work with RADWIN on what will be an important tool to connect the unconnected.”

“Even now, entire populations across the globe are still living in remote areas with no internet connection. RADWIN’s objective is to make broadband accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world, by prevailing upon all connectivity barriers, said Adi Nativ, vice president of Global Business Development at RADWIN. We are proud to be collaborating with the Microsoft Airband Initiative to deliver innovative TV White Space solutions and believe that Outland will play an important role in the effort to connect rural communities.”