North Carolina Launches First Commercial 'Super Wi-Fi' Network

Hey look, North Carolinians, it's a bird... It's a plane ... no, it's the Super WI-Fi! Or, if you want get all technical about it, it's actually the world's first commercial TV White Space (TVWS) network, but Super Wi-Fi, as it's commonly referred to, sounds so much better, even though -- again, technically -- it's not really Wi-Fi since it utilizes the so-called 'white-space' spectrum originally reserved for analog TV bands. It's even slower than regular Wi-Fi, but is able to travel much greater distances and is better at penetrating obstacles, hence the Super Wi-Fi nomenclature.

"We are extremely pleased with the installations of the white spaces systems at our parks and gardens," said Ted Davis, Chairman of New Hanover County. "This technology has proven to be an unobtrusive, environmentally friendly way to offer services to our citizens and the visitors at our parks and to give our staff more efficient ways to manage these locations."


The Super Wi-Fi / TVWS rollout will provide residents living in certain parts of North Carolina with Internet access in places where it was previously unavailable, such as local parks, as well as provide the bandwidth needed for video security surveillance.

"It's exciting to see the first commercial network go live in Wilmington utilizing this unlicensed TV Band spectrum," said Rod Dir, CEO of Spectrum Bridge. "With the explosive demand for spectrum and technology now available to enable more bandwidth, this is a big step forward in developing the next multi-billion dollar market driven by the innovation of new wireless services."