The thing that I find amusing is that we are talking about an implementation of Google's own White Spaces initiative that is working as intended.
To use the same frequency band allocated to uses like television and radio broadcasting without interference, you need a way to know which frequencies are already in use by the local stations at your location.
>So-called "white space" frequencies have considerable benefits when compared to traditional Wi-Fi signals, and now Google has created an API to make the process of utilizing them easier. Companies using the Spectrum Database API will be able to search for frequencies unoccupied by TV or radio signals in specific areas of the United States, and register equipment that uses those frequencies to broadcast wireless internet.
Google has championed unlicensed TV white space (TVWS) over the last few years. The FCC approved the use of Google's TVWS database in June, after tests began in March.
Apple appears to be doing nothing more than querying a local copy of the database to look up which frequencies must be avoided at the current location.
All the Android phones that adopt ultra wideband technology will have to do the same thing.
White Spaces was a plan to make frequencies once allocated to analog TV broadcasters unlicensed (similar to the existing ISM bands). This would give things like WiFi access points more spectrum to use, without fundamentally changing how the protocols worked. (Same signal, different RF frontend for the new frequencies.)
UWB is a very low-power spread-spectrum technique. It decreases power and increases the bandwidth used to achieve a usable channel capacity. The idea is that the power is so low that it won't interfere with licensed users, even though it's using licensed frequencies. The downside is that it's a lot more complicated and requires new hardware and electronics techniques to implement. (I assume the reason it's disabled in some regions is because they haven't convinced the relevant authorities that it doesn't actually interfere with licensed users while using their spectrum.)
To use the same frequency band allocated to uses like television and radio broadcasting without interference, you need a way to know which frequencies are already in use by the local stations at your location.
>So-called "white space" frequencies have considerable benefits when compared to traditional Wi-Fi signals, and now Google has created an API to make the process of utilizing them easier. Companies using the Spectrum Database API will be able to search for frequencies unoccupied by TV or radio signals in specific areas of the United States, and register equipment that uses those frequencies to broadcast wireless internet.
Google has championed unlicensed TV white space (TVWS) over the last few years. The FCC approved the use of Google's TVWS database in June, after tests began in March.
https://www.theverge.com/2013/11/15/5106218/google-database-...
Apple appears to be doing nothing more than querying a local copy of the database to look up which frequencies must be avoided at the current location.
All the Android phones that adopt ultra wideband technology will have to do the same thing.