Super Wi-Fi may soon be a reality

Working in the Telecom Expense Management world, it’s clear that data communications, and particularly wireless data communications, have been and will continue to be the dominant driver behind new technologies and new methods of sharing and working with information.

The FCC is currently in the process of considering the release of the old television frequencies into the unlicensed realm, which will open the doors for a new generation of Wi-Fi that will cover a lot more ground than current technologies.

When air-wave television switched to hi-def digital, a portion of the wireless spectrum was vacated.  This portion has a much longer wavelength than the current 2.4-GHz used for wireless routers.  If the FCC does open the old TV spectrum to Wi-Fi use, then communities and neighborhoods will, for the first time, be able to provide true wireless Internet coverage.

The two big advantages of the longer wavelength are that it travels greater distances without signal degradation, and can penetrate building materials much more easily than the current wireless spectrum.  This will enable more coverage with fewer towers, or hot-spots.

While there are many implications, and no doubt many unknowns in terms of the overall impact of a change like this – at the very least, it will provide a new option for businesses to communicate.  As you move forward through the next couple of years of planning your telecommunications budgets and considering how to best approach your telecommunications needs – make sure to pay attention to the develops around the new super Wi-Fi.