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International Conference on e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries

AFRICOMM 2011: e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries pp 64–73Cite as

The White Space Opportunity in Southern Africa: Measurements with Meraka Cognitive Radio Platform

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Part of the Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering book series (LNICST,volume 92)

Abstract

The global migration of television (TV) from analogue to digital broadcasting will result in more spectrum bands (known as TV white space), previously used in analogue broadcasting, becoming available and unoccupied. A question is on how much white space is available and how can it be used opportunistically and dynamically without causing harmful interference to licensed users? In this paper, we present work that is currently ongoing in our research lab with regard to the use of cognitive radio for accessing TV white spaces. We discuss the Meraka Cognitive Radio Platform (MCRP) developed using the second version of the Universal Software Radio Peripheral hardware and the GNU Radio software. We also present early results of the measurements conducted using the MCRP in rural and urban Southern Africa areas. The measurement results indicate that there are substantial white spaces available in both rural and urban areas for digital dividend.

Keywords

  • cognitive radio
  • GNU radio
  • spectrum management
  • universal software radio peripheral
  • television
  • white spaces

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Tshwane Univeristy of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa

    Moshe T. Masonta & Mjumo Mzyece

  2. Univeriry of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, USA

    David Johnson

  3. CSIR- Meraka Institute, P.O. Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa

    Moshe T. Masonta

Authors
  1. Moshe T. Masonta
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  2. David Johnson
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  3. Mjumo Mzyece
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer FOKUS, Kaiserin-Augusta Allee 31, 10589, Berlin, Germany

    Radu Popescu-Zeletin

  2. Schloss Birlinghoven, Fraunhofer FOKUS, 53757, Sankt, Augustin, Germany

    Karl Jonas

  3. The State University of Zanzibar, Zanzibar City, Tanzania

    Idris A. Rai

  4. Concordia University, H3G 2W1, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Roch Glitho

  5. FBK Center for Information Technology, 38122, Trento, Italy

    Adolfo Villafiorita

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© 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Masonta, M.T., Johnson, D., Mzyece, M. (2012). The White Space Opportunity in Southern Africa: Measurements with Meraka Cognitive Radio Platform. In: Popescu-Zeletin, R., Jonas, K., Rai, I.A., Glitho, R., Villafiorita, A. (eds) e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries. AFRICOMM 2011. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 92. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29093-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29093-0_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

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