White spaces (radio)
In telecommunications, white spaces refer to radio frequencies allocated to a broadcasting service but not used locally. National and international bodies assign frequencies for specific uses and, in most cases, license the rights to broadcast over these frequencies. This frequency allocation process creates a bandplan which for technical reasons assigns white space between used radio bands or channels to avoid interference. In this case, while the frequencies are unused, they have been specifically assigned for a purpose, such as a guard band. Most commonly however, these white spaces exist naturally between used channels, since assigning nearby transmissions to immediately adjacent channels will cause destructive interference to both.
In addition to white space assigned for technical reasons, there is also unused radio spectrum which has either never been used, or is becoming free as a result of technical changes. In particular, the switchover to digital television frees up large areas between about 50 MHz and 700 MHz. This is because digital transmissions can be packed into adjacent channels, while analog ones cannot. This means that the band can be compressed into fewer channels, while still allowing for more transmissions.
In the United States, the abandoned television frequencies are primarily in the upper UHF 700-megahertz band, covering TV channels 52 to 69. U.S. television and its white spaces will continue to exist in UHF frequencies, as well as VHF frequencies for which mobile users and white-space devices require larger antennas. In the rest of the world, the abandoned television channels are VHF, and the resulting large VHF white spaces are being reallocated for the worldwide digital radio standard DAB and DAB+, and DMB.
White-spaces devices
Various proposals, including IEEE 802.11af, IEEE 802.22 and those from the White Spaces Coalition, have advocated using white spaces left by the termination of analog TV to provide wireless broadband Internet access. A device intended to use these available channels is a white-spaces device. Such devices are designed to detect the presence of existing but unused areas of airwaves, such as those reserved for analog television, and utilize them for White Space Internet signals. Such technology is predicted to improve the availability of broadband Internet and Wi-Fi in rural areas.Early ideas proposed including GNSS receivers and programming each WSD with a database of all TV stations in an area, however this would not have avoided other non-stationary or unlicensed users in the area, or any stations licensed or altered after the device was made. Additionally, these efforts may impact wireless microphones, medical telemetry, and other technologies that have historically relied on these open frequencies.
Professional wireless microphones have used white space for decades previous to so-called white space devices.
Comparison with Wi-Fi
Like Wi-Fi, TV whitespace is a wireless connection, but uses different frequency bands. TV white space operates in 470 MHz to 698 MHz, whilst Wi-Fi operates in 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Data transfer speed depends on the model of the radio, the vendor, the antenna length, and other factors. New radios can support more than 50 Mbit/s. Wi-Fi speed similarly depends on several factors, such as range, line of sight, and so on, but may be as much as 1000 Mbit/s using the IEEE 802.11ac standard. Range is a crucial difference between Wi-Fi and TV white space. On average, TV white space range is, but it can be less or more depending on factors such as noise, line of sight and so on. One of the three main TV white space manufactures, Carlson wireless, advertises that their radios can go up to. Both have low power consumption - 20 to 100 watts depending on the device, the antenna length, the vendor, and so on. Both technologies meet the government security standards such as FIPS 197 Compliance. While Wi-Fi works well in cities, TV white space works well in rural areas.By country
Argentina
Microsoft, in a partnership with the communications authority of Argentina, Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones, planned to deliver wireless access to schools in the province of Mendoza on or around August 2017. Microsoft will borrow the White Spaces hardware to ENACOM technicians, and national satellite operator ARSAT will act as the ISP. No further trial details has been delivered yet.Canada
In August 2011, Industry Canada, the Canadian ministry for industry, launched a consultation on "Consultation on a Policy and Technical Framework for the Use of Non-Broadcasting Applications in the Television Broadcasting Bands Below 698 MHz". The consultation closed on November 4, 2011. Submissions were from a wide range of organisations from the telecoms and broadcast industries.Colombia
In Colombia, the National Spectrum Agency implemented a dynamic spectrum allocation platform to manage TV white space frequencies and support broadband initiatives in underserved areas. The system allows TVWS devices to access available channels based on a centralized geolocation database. The initiative, launched in 2020, was designed to align with national and international spectrum policies aimed at increasing rural internet access.Kenya
A pilot project by Indigo Telecom/Microsoft and the Kenyan government is reportedly delivering bandwidth speeds of up to 16 Mbit/s to three rural communities, which lack electricity - Male, Gakawa and Laikipia, using a solar-powered network.Namibia
, a pilot project called Citizen Connect, a collaboration between the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, the MyDigitalBridge Foundation, and the MCA-N, is slated to deliver broadband Internet to "twenty-seven schools and seven circuit offices of the Ministry of Education in Omusati, Oshana and Ohangwena", using "TV White Space technology".Philippines
In 2014, Microsoft worked with the Philippine government to pilot a program for digitizing the management of remote fishermen.Singapore
After FCC, Singapore Info-communications Media Development Authority is the second regulator in the world to have TV White Space regulated, ahead of UK and Canada. The Singapore efforts were driven mainly by the Singapore White Spaces Pilot Group founded by the Institute for Infocomm Research, Microsoft and StarHub. The Institute for Infocomm Research subsequently spun off Whizpace to commercialize TV White Space radio using strong IPs that were developed in the institute since 2006.South Korea
In South Korea, the government has supported the use of TV white space technologies as part of initiatives to expand rural internet access and enhance disaster communications. In 2020, the Ministry of Science and ICT selected a portable Wi-Fi device based on TVWS, developed by INNONET as an official R&D Innovation Product.That same year, the company participated in a regulatory sandbox pilot to test wireless public internet services using TVWS on cruise ships and buses in remote areas. INNONET’s technologies have since been used internationally, including deployments in South Africa, Tanzania, and Colombia.
In September 2022, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT approved a regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption for a project titled “TV White Space -based underground tunnel industrial accident prevention solution,” jointly proposed by a consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and INNONET. The approval was granted following review by the 23rd ICT Regulatory Sandbox Review Committee, allowing the project to proceed with field demonstrations under relaxed regulatory conditions.
The project applies TVWS-based wireless communication technology to underground construction sites, where conventional cellular relay installations are often difficult or costly due to environmental constraints. By deploying mobile TVWS transmission and reception units, the system enables wireless connectivity throughout tunnel sections without the need for extensive cabling. According to project documentation, the technology supports non-line-of-sight communication and is intended to improve situational awareness and communication between underground workers and surface control areas during construction and emergency scenarios.
In 2025, INNONET a South Korea-based ICT company, received the Silver Award in the “Innovation for Connectivity” category at the G20 MSME Digital Innovation Challenge held in Cape Town, South Africa. The company was recognized for its development of fixed and portable TVWS base stations, including satellite backhaul backpack units designed for public safety and rural connectivity. INNONET’s platforms integrate TVWS technology with smart farming, telemedicine, and construction monitoring systems to support digital inclusion and infrastructure resilience. The award highlighted the global application of TVWS in addressing connectivity gaps across rural, underground, and disaster-affected areas.
In December 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT granted a regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption for a TV White Space -based emergency mobile base station and quadruped robot service, jointly proposed by a consortium consisting of the Gyeonggi-do Fire Service Academy and INNONET. The project was intended for use in underground disaster environments, including scenarios involving disruptions to conventional mobile networks.
As part of the exemption, temporary increases in transmission power limits for mobile TVWS devices were permitted, raising the maximum output from 100 mW per 6 MHz to 1 W per 6 MHz.
South Africa
Google, in a partnership with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, , , the Wireless Access Providers Association and delivers wireless access to 10 schools through 3 base stations at the campus of Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Tygerberg, Cape Town. There was an initial trial that took place within 10 schools in order to deliver affordable internet to the selected schools in South Africa without TV interference, and to spread awareness about future TVWS technologies in South Africa. The trial took place over 10 months, from March 25, 2013, to September 25, 2013.A second trial involved providing point-to-point Internet connectivity to five rural secondary schools in Limpopo province, with equally good results.
ICASA subsequently issued regulations on the use of television white spaces in 2018. Three temporary TV white space spectrum licenses were issued by ICASA in April 2020, response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the 470–694 MHz band, to Mthinthe Communications, Levin Global & Morai Solutions.
In 2023, South Korea-based telecommunications company INNONET partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to provide 24 TV white space communication units aimed at improving internet connectivity in rural areas of South Africa. The collaboration, supported by the Korean government, included training and support for local small and medium-sized enterprises to operate and manage the deployed TVWS equipment across five provinces, including Limpopo and Mpumalanga.