The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) has announced the availability of the IEEE 802.19.1 Standard for TV White Space (TVWS) Coexistence Methods. “The IEEE 802.19.1 standard enables the family of IEEE 802 wireless standards to effectively utilize the TV White Space,” explains Steve Shellhammer, chair of the IEEE 802.19 Wireless Coexistence Working Group.

He continues, “This is accomplished by providing standardized coexistence methods among dissimilar or independently operated TVWS networks. The TVWS is made up of vacant frequencies made available for unlicensed use and provides good RF propagation characteristics for unlicensed wireless communications. The IEEE 802.19.1 standard is intended to help achieve fair and efficient spectrum sharing.”

IEEE 802.19.1 specifies radio technology independent methods for coexistence among dissimilar or independently operated wireless networks operating in TVWS. According to IEEE-SA, the standard is also intended to do the following:

-- Leverage the cognitive radio capabilities of the TVWS devices, including geolocation awareness and access to information databases;

-- Specify a coexistence discovery and information server, which gathers and provides coexistence information regarding TVWS networks;

-- Specify a coexistence manager, which utilizes the information from the coexistence server in order to enhance the coexistence of the TVWS networks;

-- Define common coexistence architecture and protocols, as well as several profiles to enable cost-efficient and flexible deployment of the coexistence system in various scenarios.

Learn more about the IEEE 802.19 Wireless Coexistence Working Group.