Spectrum survey of VHF and UHF bands in the Philippines

In this paper, the spectrum occupancy of the VHF and UHF bands are investigated. The primary objective is to identify the bands that have low utilization and could be accessed for future developments in TV broadcasting, especially in the analog to digital transition as well as other digital technological developments. Results could provide an avenue for emerging technologies such as cognitive radio. The study consists of data collection and analyses in the VHF and UHF TV bands. Average occupancy calculations based on measurements and results taken over a two-day period show an overall average occupancy of about 16% of the total spectrum surveyed. Specifically, average occupancies for the low band VHF, high band VHF and UHF band are about 57%, 60% and 7% of the respective bands. Since the study on white space is at its early stages, this paper serves as a preliminary study, thus further studies are needed to fully optimize the white spaces of the spectrum for future applications in the advancement of the technology.