Leveraging TV White Spaces for Rural Broadband Connectivity

World over, spectrum allocation by regulators is done in blocks that correspond to the different services being provided. Spectrum measurement studies have shown that some parts of the spectrum are grossly underutilized. In particular, the TV band is underutilised in most areas, and this has been exacerbated by the TV analogue to digital migration. These unutilised frequency bands, so-called TV White Spaces (TVWS), can be utilised for other services to enhance spectrum utilisation. Over recent years, TVWS has gained significant attention as an emerging approach to address the digital divide, and it has been piloted and tested in several countries. Notably, there have been numerous efforts in academia and industry in finding ways to exploit the potential of TVWS in several applications such as broadband connectivity. In this paper, we discuss the initiatives and programs utilising TVWS in rural communities around the world. We also provide an overview of the implementation and associated challenges and describe the possible policy interventions required to exploit this technology for rural connectivity.