IPA WIFI ANG BUONG PILIPINAS

Due to scant broadband frequencies, the government plans to harness unused Television channels - White Space (TVWS) or ''Super Wi-Fi'' - nationwide within 3 years to connect rural areas, schools and also for health, disaster migration, e-services and e-business.

Between them, Metro Manila and Cebu have 18 unused channels, with 46 percent of spectrum wasted.

Davao has 62 percent TV White space with 24 unused channels and the country's rural areas have a total of 24-31 unused channels, or 62-80 percent TV White Space.

''When you turn on your TV to these unused channels, the set displays ''white noise'' resembling snow, with a hissing sound,'' according to Louis Napoleon C. Casambre Executive Director, Information and Communications Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ICTO) in a press briefing Friday.

''They carry no useful information and contribute nothing to the government coffers,'' he stressed.

White space only served as ''guard bands'' intentionally left unused to avoid interference between active channels but recent advances in TV technology removed the need for them.

Combined, all the white spaces in the country represent a bandwidth potential of up to 703 Megabits per second (Mbps) with a 378 percent growth potential from technology improvements, Casambre pointed out.

At present, only 47 percent of cities and municipalities have broadband access. Just 45 percent of high school and 2 percent of elementary schools have internet access. A mere 20 percent of households have Personal Computers and most families cannot afford broadband connection.

Already, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of TVWS in 2010 for data communications.

by Yahoo!