Spectrum Switch

South Africa COVID-19 Resource Portal

 

Service Offerings on Spectrum Switch


Take a moment to learn about the various feature rich functionalities that are available on the South African edition of the CSIR Secondary Geo-location Spectrum Database (S-GLSD) system, a.k. the “Spectrum Switch”. The system facilitates the spectrum sharing of the interleaved or contiguous unused portions of spectrum found between the frequency bands allocated for broadcast Television - the so called Television White Spaces (TVWS).

This system is available for use by potential TVWS network providers, TVWS original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and the general public. For additional information, please don’t hesitate to get in-touch with us using the provided details on the Contact Us Page.

Calculation Engine Service


The CSIR offers Calculation Engine for the availability of TVWS as a service to third parties such as other GLSDs that only serve TV whitespace Devices (WSDs) while not performing computations.

PAWS Service


Provisioning of Operational Parameters (OPs) to WSDs through the use of the Protocol to Access White-space (PAWS) databases IETF RFC 7545; with support for ICASA Ruleset (ICASA-TVWS-2018).

Network Planning Tool


Plan the network coverage and link quality to ensure that the signal strength in the coverage areas meets user requirements, minimize interference, and network bandwidth meets Internet access requirements.

Latest Announcements & News
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Find announcements and news related to this system and the TVWS Ecosystem published right here. This section of the page only lists the latest ten (10) articles; to view more, please click the 'See More Newsfeeds' button below.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!

All TVWS network operators:

We would like to inform you that from the 27/01/2023, the day-to-...

Introducing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) o...

As a way to tighten up access to the system, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) feature has been introduced. This will require a user to set up an additional layer of security to avoid&...

OEM/Distributor Compliance Status | ICASA-TVWS-...

As part of Type Approval Process, TV White Space Devices (WSDs) are required to correctly access and communicate with the Secondary GLSD. This normally requires OEM/Distributor to start with the...

Available Spectrum Query - Applying Dynamic Tim...

We have published a technical note with the aim to clarity how OEMs can apply dynamic time limits after a successful available spectrum query. The f...

ICASA issued Full Type Approval Certification o...

On Friday the 17th July 2020, the independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has issued Indigo Broadband Pty SA Ltd with a full Type Approval certificate of Carlson W...

ABOUT THE SYSTEM


Television White Spaces (TVWS) is a term used to describe the interleaved or contiguous unused portions of spectrum found between the frequency bands allocated for broadcast Television. TVWS spectrum has superior propagation characteristics such as the ability to penetrate natural and man-made obstacles and can provide signal coverage over very large geographical area.