WHITE PAPER

DEPLOYING WIRELESS BROADBAND

IN TVWS FREQUENCIES TO BRIDGE
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

POWERFUL. VERSATILE. RELIABLE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3
Identifying the Need 3
Planning the Solution 4
Obtaining TVWS Spectrum 7
Designing the Network 9
Deploying the Network 10
Realizing a Successful Outcome 11
Conclusion 12
Appendix 13

WHITE PAPER | Deploying Wireless Broadband in TVWS Frequencies to Bridge the Digital Divide
INTRODUCTION
Delivering Internet access to rural customers is no easy task. This paper discusses all aspects of the project from
network planning to service commissioning, and
Many residences and businesses in small towns and rural addresses the key issues involved with using TVWS
areas all over the world lack the type of ready access to frequencies for bridging the Digital Divide.
the Internet heavily-populated areas enjoy, often with
more than one Internet service provider (ISP) from which
to choose. IDENTIFYING THE NEED
ABC is a leading ISP to residences and businesses in over
This has been termed the Digital Divide.
100 communities in central BC. From its headquarters in
Quensel, ABC provides services in Burns Lake,
Rural customers often live some distance from the
Vanderhoof, 100 Mile House, Kelowna, Penticton, Prince
nearest community. Wireline service providers that serve
George and Vancouver. The company is a trusted supplier
such areas generally favor a fiber optic cable network.
to the BC government connecting ministry offices and
Certainly, fiber can deliver high-speed Internet
schools throughout the province, helping bridge the
connections but at a price. The cost to connect relatively
Digital Divide.
few rural customers over a wide area with a high-capacity
fiber optic system can run thousands of dollars per
Initially with dial-up lines, ABC now provides Internet
connection.
access via its extensive wireless broadband network. ABC
holds 3.5 GHz licensed spectrum throughout much of the
By contrast, wireless broadband systems offer a better
BC interior and has extensive WiMAX and LTE experience.
alternative for these applications and in many cases, can
Their private wireless network includes 180 towers across
be deployed efficiently and at lower capital cost per
the province, from the US border through to Northern BC.
customer compared to fiber. These wireless systems
Furthermore, ABC operates a fiber optic backbone
typically utilize unlicensed frequencies such as 900 MHz
network that links over 30 cities to network centers in
or 5 GHz. Connections between a base station and a
Vancouver and Prince George, a city of about 75,000
remote terminal at the customer premise are often
people in east-central BC, roughly 500 miles north of
achieved through line-of-sight (LOS) transmission.
Vancouver.
There are instances, however, where LOS transmission is
not possible because of hilly or mountainous terrain and
dense foliage coverage. In such circumstances, a wireless
broadband system operating in television white space
(TVWS) frequencies in the UHF (470-698 MHz) band can
facilitate non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmission to
connect those few, hard-to-reach customers. Note that
the 900 MHz spectrum traditionally has performed well
for NLOS applications; however, 900 MHz is overused, and
the resultant radio frequency (RF) noise limits the range
and capacity of systems operating in this band.

This white paper describes the actual TVWS deployment

using Redline’s RDL-3000 XP Virtual Fiber™ wireless
broadband system by ABC Communications (ABC), an
Internet service provider (ISP) based in the Province of
British Columbia (BC) in Western Canada. ABC’s
headquarters are in Quensel, BC.

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BRITISH COLUMBIA

Burns Lake
Prince George
Vanderhoof

Quesnel

100 Mile House

Kelowna
Penticton
Vancouver

ABC is addressing a big need for reliable Internet service PLANNING THE SOLUTION
throughout central BC.
In early 2017, ABC began investigating several wireless
Consider this. Sixty percent of BC’s 4.8 million population alternatives for extending Internet access into these
lives in the two largest metro areas –Vancouver and small, rural communities. Among the alternatives, the
Victoria, the province’s capital – concentrated in BC’s company considered TVWS seeing it used with some
lower southwest on the Pacific coast. The remaining 40 success in other countries.
percent, more than 1.8 million people, reside in a vast
land area covering nearly 360,000 square miles. There are TVWS in low-band UHF frequencies exhibits propagation
dozens of small towns and communities throughout BC in characteristics of long range and the ability to penetrate
rural, open spaces. obstacles such as heavy tree foliage and sometimes, even
buildings.
The challenge for ISPs like ABC is how to deliver high-
speed Internet access to residents and business in these ABC picked several locations in its territory and tested
small, dispersed rural communities efficiently and the viability of TVWS by conducting spectrum analyses.
cost-effectively. The test results are summarized in Exhibit 1.

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Exhibit 1 TVWS Spectrum Analysis, Various Prospective Sites, -80 dBm Noise Floor Objective

TEST LOCATION TOWER TEST OVERALL

AREA/SITE NAME LINE OF SIGHT (LOS)?
(LAT/LONG) HEIGHT HEIGHT ASSESSMENT

Low noise floor,

53.871277/
BURNS LAKE 30 m Above tree line 3m spurious spikes as high
-126.012043
as -78 dBm

QUESNEL

Nothing within 15m,

53.028142/ mountain top with clear A couple of channels
Milburn Mtn 20 m 3m
-122.747682 view to surrounding clearly in use
tower sites
Nothing within 15m,
52.929788/ open parking lot.
Nazko School N/A 3m Clean spectrum
-123.563033 Location at bottom of
valley
Nothing within 15m,
52.943979/ open parking lot.
Nazko Reserve N/A 3m Clean spectrum
-123.583829 Location at bottom of
valley

FAULDER

49.613167/ Relatively clear view of A couple of channels

Faulder South 20 m 3m
-119.785417 surrounding valley clearly in use

49.622861/ Relatively clear view of A couple of channels

Faulder North 20 m 3m
-119.781944 surrounding valley clearly in use

49.665624/ Relatively clear view of A couple of channels

Fishmeadow N/A 3m
-119.797691 surrounding valley clearly in use

BEAVERDELL

Minimal obstruction,
49.493269/
Carmi Tower 6m hill top looking down on 3m Clean spectrum
-119.124303
valley

Source: ABC Communications, tests conducted May 31-June 14, 2017

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 community of 2,400 people located in BC’s Lake District,
about 140 miles west of Prince George.

Roughly 20 miles to the southwest of Burns Lake, though,

is residential and recreational area with several hundred
homes along Francois Lake and the Nechako Reservoir.
Homes in this area are occupied both year-round and on a
seasonal basis.

This area is lacking Internet access simply because these

homes are difficult to reach. The terrain consists of
Francois Lake rolling hills with many small valleys and drainages with
extensive deciduous tree cover.
Preliminary tests showed that some sites were more
attractive than others, mainly due to the absence of In the middle of the target area is Verdun Mountain, the
interfering signal sources in the area. high point of land at a 3,700 foot elevation, and about
1,000 feet above the surrounding area in all directions.
Burns Lake turned out to be an attractive location for TVWS Verdun Mtn. makes a natural place to locate a base
deployment for several reasons. ABC already provides station for transmitting high-speed signals to subscriber
wired and wireless Internet access in Burns Lake, a rural units at the lower elevations.

EXHIBIT 2 BURNS LAKE: TVWS TARGET COVERAGE AREA

Source: Redline Communications, ABC Communications

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The other key factor here is that ABC already operates a Canadian government that helps companies bring innovative
900 MHz system transmitting from an existing tower on technology products and services to market.
Verdun Mtn. to serve 10 subscribers in the immediate
area. Burns Lake area was selected as the first TVWS ISED awarded ABC a developmental license that allows
deployment site given the 120 homes to be served and the them to deploy TVWS services using three 6 MHz
availability of tower space on Verdun Mtn. channels, specifically, Channel 25 (536-542 MHz),
Channel 26 (542-548 MHz) and Channel 27 (548-554
Yet the Verdun Mtn. site poses challenges. Despite the MHz). The license specified that the maximum radio
tower location being above most of the surrounding transmitter eradiated power(ERP) be limited to 2.161
terrain, it is still not high enough to provide a steep watts (W) or +33 dBm.
penetration angle. Wireless signals must be transmitted
through several layers of trees and in some cases over
TESTING THE SPECTRUM
rolling hills.
The second step is to verify that the assigned channels
After discussions with Redline’s system engineers, ABC can operate free of radio frequency (RF) noise and
determined that deploying Redline’s TVWS radio solution interference.
would provide the required data throughput performance
while operating in NLOS or near-line-of-sight (nLOS) With no spectrum database available to determine
transmission modes to overcome obstacles the terrain channel assignments in adjacent bands, ABC conducted
posed. its own RF sweep tests. These tests involve scanning or
‘sweeping’ specific RF frequencies in a band to detect
OBTAINING TVWS SPECTRUM signals being received in that band from distant
transmitters. As the frequency of the receiver is adjusted
Wireless ISPs (WISPs) like ABC must take several key with each sweep, a display indicates the power of the
steps to design a high-performance TVWS system. signals received at each frequency and if the received
The first and foremost is to gain access to TVWS signal level is below the specified noise floor, or not.
spectrum.
RF sweep tests normally are conducted using spectrum
In many countries around the world, WISPs can query a analyzers. In this instance, Redline supplied ABC with a
national database maintained by a spectrum RDL-3000 XP Ellipse base station to conduct the tests.
administrator designated by the country’s
telecommunications regulator. The database typically
shows the full range of available TVWS channels in the
planned deployment area, along with those channels that
are already occupied. A WISP can apply to use any of BEST PRACTICES TIP:
those available channels on an exclusive basis.
In Canada, there is no designated database administrator Even if a TVWS database is available, Redline
nor has the Federal government established formal rules recommends as a ‘best practice’ to conduct
for use of TVWS spectrum. Nonetheless, WISPs RF sweep tests to verify the quality of the
interested in TVWS can apply for a ‘developmental’ assigned channels in the planned operating
license to use several assigned channels, ostensibly for areas. Our field experience has shown in
testing purposes. some instances assigned TV channels which
were supposed to be vacant were active.
In this case, ABC obtained a license from Innovation, Science
and Economic Development Canada (ISED), a branch of the

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Even though the Ellipse is a radio transmitter and receiver, channels would be sufficiently immune from interference.
the transmitter portion is turned off during the test. The
Ellipse’s tunable radio receiver in ‘listen-only mode’ can ABC’s RF sweep tests were extensive. From the Verdun
detect and measure the levels of RF signals already present Mtn. site, ABC systems engineers conducted RF sweeps
in the area. Such analyses were intended to assure ABC’s in six different directions: East, North, Northeast,
network planners that operation in their assigned TVWS Northwest, Southeast and South.

Verdun Mountain Sites

This directional testing covered the areas where

customers are located with respect to the base station.
Even though ABC would be operating in just three
channels in the 536-554 MHz range, each directional RF
sweep covered the full UHF frequency band from 470 to
698 MHz in steps of 1.75 MHz. This means that each
directional test yielded a total of 130 entries.
Furthermore, a built-in feature of the Ellipse radio is that
because it operates in a 2x2 multiple in-multiple out
(MIMO) antenna arrangement, the radio has separate ports
– RF1 and RF2 – that allow for simultaneous measuring of
receive signals on both the vertical polarization (V-pol) and
horizontal polarization (H-pol).

ABC conducted RF sweep test results using Ellipse radio

across the full UHF band from 470 MHz to 698 MHz, even
though WISPs in Canada are limited to a range of 512 MHz
to 698 MHz.

ABC wanted to ‘see’ everything around it from the Verdun

Mtn. site. Exhibit 3 is an excerpt of the full RF sweep test
showing results in ABC’s assigned 536-554 MHz frequency
band for the North direction from Verdun Mtn. for both
V-pol and H-pol.

Full test results across all frequencies in the North

direction are shown in the Appendix.
Source: ABC Communications

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EXHIBIT 3 TVWS SPECTRUM ANALYSIS: 536-554 MHZ, VERDUN MTN., NORTH-FACING SECTOR

RF1 RF2
Frequency
[MHz] Avg [dBm] Max [dBm] Avg [dBm] Max [dBm]

534.75 -100 -98 -100 -99

536.5 -103 -102 -103 -103

538.25 -102 -102 -103 -103

540 -102 -101 -103 -102

541.75 -102 -98 -103 -103

543.5 -102 -100 -103 -103

545.25 -102 -100 -103 -103

547 -102 -100 -103 -103

548.75 -101 -100 -102 -102

550.5 -102 -101 -103 -103

552.25 -103 -101 -104 -103

554 -103 -102 -104 -104

555.75 -103 -101 -104 -103

Source: Redline Communications

The data confirmed that ABC’s assigned TVWS channels in the North sector, received levels averaging -102 to -103
dBm, well below the -80 dBm noise floor objective.

DESIGNING THE NETWORK

Once the coverage area spectrum analysis proved that inputs including base station location, geographic
ABC could operate TVWS assigned channels without information, operating frequencies, antenna type and
interference, the third step is to model the transmission gain, height above ground level (AGL), and ERP.
pattern and signal strength that could be achieved from
the Ellipse base station on Verdun Mtn. into the Exhibit 4 shows the resulting RF pattern for download
surrounding area. data throughput speeds that ABC can expect in the target
area given the terrain and distances with the specified
Redline conducted computer-based RF simulations using transmission parameters.
an off-the-shelf RF modeling program with numerous

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EXHIBIT 4: TVWS COVERAGE AREA ANALYSIS FROM VERDUN MTN.

Source: Redline Communications; Red areas=25 Mb/s, Yellow areas=15 Mb/s

This type of analysis is very important because it provided ABC with the
planning data it needed to identify the type of service it could offer
different customers located throughout the coverage area. More
important, it established that Verdun Mtn. was a very suitable location
from which to deliver these services to prospective customers using
TVWS frequencies.

DEPLOYING THE NETWORK

With Redline’s guidance, ABC deployed a TVWS solution in a point-to-
multipoint (PMP) configuration using Redline’s RDL-3000 XP Virtual
Fiber™ system for those NLOS connections.

The RDL-3000 system is comprised of the Ellipse base station and

multiple Enterprise remote terminals, one at each customer location.
The RDL-3000 XP is a highly-versatile wireless broadband system that
can be software-programmed to operate in various sub-6 GHz frequency
bands including UHF (470-698 MHz), 2, 3 and 5 GHz unlicensed or
lightly-licensed spectrum¹.

RDL-3000 XP has a software-adjustable channel size of up to 20 MHz and

can deliver high data throughput capacity of up to 186.6 Mb/s per sector,
in a 90-degree sector that Redline recommends. More importantly, the
system is very reliable, designed for rugged, remote environments with a
mean time between failure (MTBF) of more than 20 years.

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For this application, ABC initially planned to serve 20-30
subscribers per sector. To achieve high-speed
connections, ABC was allowed by ISED to combine two
adjacent 6 MHz TVWS channels for transmission over a 12
MHz channel that the Ellipse base station can
accommodate. ABC technicians installed the Ellipse
programmed for this 12 MHz channel on the existing 110
foot tower on the top of Verdun Mtn. With a 12 dBi,
90-degree panel sector antenna attached, the Ellipse is
mounted close to the 100 foot level and is pointing toward
the North sector. The ERP level on the Ellipse transmitter
is set at +22 dBm to reach multiple subscribers; that ERP
is well within the ISED license specification of +33 dBm.
Note that the Ellipse has a maximum ERP of +31 dBm
combined transmit power, in MIMO mode and frequency-
band specific. This feature provides ABC with capacity to
increase power levels if needed to expand coverage.

Download the Ellipse datasheet: http://rdlcom.com/

resources/download?file=62

The coverage area has a 20-30 Km radius although ABC

strives to keep distances to subscribers within a 15-20
Km radius. For the most part, transmission paths are LOS
but the TVWS application is well-suited for both near LOS
(nLOS) and NLOS connections that ABC needed to reach
hard-to-reach customers.
REALIZING A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME
At each subscriber location, ABC installed an Enterprise
remote terminal connected to a dual polarity 2 ft., 11 dBi ABC successfully deployed TVWS in the Burns Lake area
gain antenna. The antenna is mounted 6 feet or more from Verdun Mtn. to customers who now are enjoying
above each building’s roof line and is pointing towards the high-speed wireless Internet connections where none
Ellipse base station on Verdun Mtn. The Enterprise is an existed before. Customer feedback has been very positive.
outdoor unit that ABC installed on the side of the building
witth a short coaxial cable connection to the antenna. ABC offers a menu of service packages to meet a variety of
customer needs. Residential service packages range from
Download the Enterprise datasheet: http://rdlcom.com/ ‘Residential Basic’ with download speed of 1.5 Mbps and up
resources/download?file=66 to 25 Gb monthly data usage capacity to the high-end
‘Residential Mega’, available in select areas, with a download
The field installation activity was handled by experienced speed of 15 Mbps and 250 Gb monthly usage. Intermediate
ABC field technicians who worked closely with Redline speed and data capacity packages are available. ABC offers a
systems engineers to make all required adjustments similar suite of services for businesses.

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ABC’s initial deployment connected 20 homes in the Fall of of the base stations and to predict the data throughput
2017. The company plans to add 100 homes in 2018. performance required to connect each customer. A sound
Furthermore, by March 2018, ABC plans to migrate 10 network plan will assure service reliability and can save
customers to TVWS from an existing 900 MHz service that is on equipment investment in the long run.
very susceptible to RF interference and NLOS impediments.
2. Obtain TVWS spectrum. Apply to the designated
ABC confirms that Redline is one of a small group of database administrator to obtain TVWS channel
manufacturers of TVWS products, and a good fit for its assignments for your company. Usually this can be
application. The company adds that Redline was very accomplished on-line if a TVWS database is established, or
helpful in working with its technical team and assisting in directly through the national telecommunications regulator.
RF sweep testing prior to procurement.
3. Test, Test, Test. Confirm that your assigned TVWS
ABC expressed its appreciation to Redline and its channels will operate free of RF interference and noise
distributor Partner, Alliance Corporation for their support using generally-accepted spectrum analyses techniques.
and responsiveness throughout the network planning, Testing over a wide spectrum range beyond the assigned
equipment procurement and delivery process. channels can be done at incremental time and cost but
will give you a very good assessment of the RF
environment in which you will operate.
“Redline has been very helpful in making
4. Use Proven TVWS Radio Equipment. Select a radio
this product perform well for our system that is powerful, versatile and reliable. You want a
application and has provided us with a system that it is field-proven and delivers the data speeds
great experience. We anticipate growing that your customers demand yet is easy to install and
our deployment of the TVWS product in requires no maintenance. Redline’s RDL-3000 XP Virtual
Fiber™ system operating in the UHF band is a leading
the future as we are able to gain access to
TVWS radio that meets these parameters.
more spectrum licenses in BC.”
-Falko Kadenbach, ABC VP 5. Rely on RF Expertise. Every situation is different and
even the best RF engineers can take advantage of the
knowledge, experience and expertise of Redline’s technical
support teams. Redline RF design and system engineers
CONCLUSION have extensive experience in the complete cycle of TVWS
network design, field testing and system deployment.
Deploying wireless broadband services in TVWS
frequencies solves Internet access connection problems Understand that TVWS is a solution best-suited to those
for homes and businesses in NLOS applications where no exceptional situations where NLOS transmission is the
other solution exists. only alternative. In rare instances, TVWS may be the only
Here are the key takeaways: solution. More often than not, TVWS will complement a
wireless broadband system that serves customers using
1. Develop detailed network plan. We cannot overstate LOS transmission in other unlicensed sub-6 GHz bands.
this criterion. At the outset, identify your target customer
locations, the topography of the area and the services to In the end, Redline’s TVWS is a viable wireless solution to
be delivered. Custom RF modeling assistance is available bridging the Digital Divide where no other technical or
from Redline to help you determine the optimal location economic option exists.

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APPENDIX
RF Sweep Tests - Verdun Mtn., BC, facing North
TVWS 470-698 MHz in 1.75 MHz steps, V-pol & H-pol; -80 dBm noise floor threshold

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ABOUT REDLINE COMMUNICATIONS
Redline Communications (www.rdlcom.com) is the creator of powerful wide-area wireless networks for the most
challenging applications and locations. Used by oil and gas companies to manage their assets, municipalities to
remotely monitor highways, utilities and other infrastructures, and telecom service providers to deliver premium
services, Redline’s powerful and versatile networks reliably and securely deliver voice, data, machine-to-machine
(M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) and video communications. For more information, visit www.rdlcom.com.

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