Technological advancement is one of those things that people only notice long after. There are dozens of little things that have to come prior to mass distribution. A new phone is reliant on so much, but people only see flashy phones that they think are the ‘next thing.’
Without trying to be condescending, many of you will not be aware of the intricacies of what goes on in the tech industry: and for good reason. You have other things to worry about in finance, homes, automotive and other industries, and in business places. Each and every one of us is here to do a different job, and for some of us, that is to worry about the tech industry.
So what many of you may not be aware of is what is happening at the moment, with the 700 MHz spectrum.
But, to begin with, many of you won’t know what the 700 MHz spectrum actually is. So let’s just take a moment to explain.
For years, when you’ve turned on your TV for the first time, you may have had to tune it in to the right channels. This would have been awhile ago, but for many of us, we’ve still got those old TVs sitting around the house, providing the ‘spare bedroom’ with television. What you’ve actually been doing though is tuning your TV to the right UHF – Ultra High Frequency.
The UHF is what the television channels have come across for so long. This ranges between the 500 and 1000 MHz range, whereas, for example, your FM radio exists on the 100 MHz frequency.
Well, all of that explanation is to explain what the 700 MHz spectrum is, and you can gather from that explanation what it could be used for: maybe a cell phone network, maybe a wireless internet connection.
For some time now the buzz amongst the tech industry has been the auction of the 700 MHz spectrum. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission put the band up for auction, and there has been a lot of noise regarding who would take up the purchase.
Google announced on Friday, that they were going to be putting in a bid.
This is huge news considering a couple of things that we’ll take a quick look at.
Google has the money. This is not a debate question, but simply the facts of the situation. They seem to have entire rooms full of bills, just waiting to be doled out appropriately. And they haven’t been shy in spending their money either, with multiple buyouts over the last decade. One of the most relevant at the moment is that of small start-up Android, now the makers of the new Google phone software.
The Google Phone! Already we’ve spoken on the Google Phone, or more to the point, the software and partnerships that will likely build a new world of telecommunications. So what would happen if Google, not only brought open software, devices and partners to the table, but also an entire spectrum on which to use the phone?
Lastly, Municipal Wi-Fi. We’ve heard for a long time about muni wi-fi failing to get a hold in the US, and now Google – whose mission statement is to organize the world’s information – have access to an entire spectrum which could support free wireless internet connectivity.
Don Reisinger from News.com best described the future: Simply put, we're on the precipice of something groundbreaking that will change this industry forever.
Joshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.
