TV white spaces - the current state of play, with Keith Pitout

Television white-spaces (TVWS) spectrum – the gaps in the frequencies used by terrestrial TV broadcasters – has long been seen as a way of bringing affordable Internet to even remote areas. But what’s happened with the various TVWS initiatives in South Africa? Keith Pitout, a leading local expert on the subject and chief technology officer of Indigo Broadband, joins TechCentral’s Duncan McLeod in the TC|Daily studio to unpack the latest developments – and to explain why he believes TVWS has a bright future ahead of it, despite some early hiccups. In this episode of TC|Daily, Pitout covers: • What TVWS is and how it works; • Why it’s so affordable to deploy and who will benefit from its roll-out in South Africa; • The trial TVWS projects that took place in South Africa; • The CSIR’s involvement, and why it’s been key; • The regulations developed by communications regulator Icasa; • The commercial TVWS projects now being rolled out in South Africa; and • What comes next for TVWS, both from a business and technology perspective. Don’t miss a great discussion about an important technology for bridging the digital divide in South Africa.