Mid-Atlantic Broadband,
Virginia

In the largest TVWS deployment in the U.S., Adaptrum partnered with Middle-mile provider Mid-Atlantic Broadband (MBC) and Microsoft to help close the “homework gap” by providing free educational Internet access to student homes in rural Southern Virginia, where only about half the students have broadband Internet access at home. Initially covering two counties, the area is home to 159 K-12 public schools, and 70,000 students.

The region is rural area with hilly terrain, where Internet access has neither been previously available nor affordable at home. Adaptrum’s TVWS network is able to wirelessly extend the existing installation of fiber-optic connectivity at local schools to students’ homes.

The network is using the increased transmit power of the ACRS2.0-HP to reach more homes surrounding schools.

Aguadas,
Colombia

In the mountains of Colombia, Adaptrum & Microsoft have launched a TV White Spaces project to bring Internet to the remotest parts of the country. Far beyond where fiber can economically be deployed, the project initially provides connectivity to remote schools in the village of Rio Arriba in the municipality of Aguadas, Caldas. For the 135 students there, the TV White Space solution enables access to new content and the ability to connect with other students; for teachers, it allows them to take advantage of new online tools and ideas. Nicknamed “bamboo Internet” after the six-meter tall bamboo pole where the antennas are mounted, the new TV White Space Internet connection is already helping improve classroom experiences in Colombia.

“This will revolutionize education in Colombia! This is the country we want to build, in peace, equity and better educated,” said Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia.

Jamaica

In collaboration with USAID, Microsoft, and Jamaica Universal Services Fund, Adaptrum launched an island wide project in Jamaica to provide Internet access to rural schools, libraries, healthcare clinics, and police stations in communities never before connected to the Internet. The project was proposed by USAID in support of President Obama’s Broadband Partnership of the Americas to provide faster Internet to more communities, especially in rural areas.

In Jamaica primary schools, the pilot is transforming the way teachers teach and students learn. “Getting Internet access in rural communities in the Caribbean, and even worldwide, has always been a challenge for Internet service providers,” shares Vinni Jonas, Microsoft Technical Evangelist, West Indies. TVWS technology from Adaptrum now makes it possible to deliver Internet access to such rural locations.

Glentress Forest,
Scotland

Scottish Enterprise partnered with the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland to equip Glentress Forest with cutting edge Adaptrum TV White Space technology that will allow live coverage of the TweedLove Enduro World Series mountain biking tournament in Scotland. The rural area of the event historically suffered from having no or poor connectivity. With TV White Space, live video of the events could be streamed, and participants and spectators could get online to share their experiences with the world.

“We can see how this clever new technology could hugely improve both the spectator experience and improve their time at centres such as Glentress,” said Danny Cowe, from The Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland.

Nanyuki,
Kenya

Near the town of Nanyuki, Kenya, Adaptrum, in partnership with Microsoft and Mawingu Networks, deployed the first TVWS network used together with solar-powered base stations to deliver low-cost broadband to rural areas that do not even have electricity. Adaptrum radios use white space spectrum to distribute wireless Internet access to WiFi access points that typical consumer devices can connect to. TVWS Offering a stronger signal than other wireless Internet delivery methods, TVWS is capable of traveling longer distances.

The Kenyan deployment now connects eight customer locations, five schools, the Laikipia County government office, Laikipia Public Library, Red Cross and the Burguret Dispensary healthcare clinic.

Gakawa Principal Beatrice Ndorongo reports that in the two-and-a-half years since the connection was established, students at Gakawa Secondary School have improved their scores in every single subject on the Kenya National Exam.

Project Kgolagano,
Botswana

In Botswana, Adaptrum technology is helping hospitals and clinics bring Internet connectivity over a TVWS network to enable remote diagnosis and support local healthcare service delivery. In partnership with Adaptrum, Microsoft and the Botswana Innovation Hub, Project Kgolagano is focused on providing access to specialized maternal medicine to improve the lives of women. The network is also being used to deliver educational applications to schools in remote communities.

“Through Project Kgolagano, we will be using TVWS technology to provide access to specialized telemedicine applications, where hospitals can send high-resolution patient photographs back to Gaborone and Philadelphia for a more accurate diagnosis and care,” said Dr Geoffrey Seleka, director of the BIH Marketing, ICT, and Registration.

Srikakulam,
India

Adaptrum, Microsoft, and the Indian government launched a program to connect five schools to the Internet within a radius of 10 km in remote rural and tribal areas of Srikakulam, India. The project launched with the installation of the first base station at the Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residency School.

India faces a significant hurdle to narrowing the digital divide with just 19 percent Internet penetration in the country. With its greater geographic reach and low cost deployment, TVWS is an excellent alternative for connecting rural areas in India.

“I am convinced that TV White Space can be the affordable answer to last-mile connectivity challenges in India,“ Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India.

Northern
Namibia

In partnership with the MyDigitalBridge Foundation, Adaptrum helped implement the world’s largest TVWS deployment by geographical area, covering over 9,424 sq. km in northern Namibia. The project connects 28 schools and three provincial regions, highlighting the direct impact of TVWS technology in delivering affordable access to wide coverage areas previously inaccessible. This project is making a significant impact in a country where only 14% of people have internet access.

“The unlimited potential of broadband is enabling large scale development of human capital, the establishment of e-commerce services in the small and medium business ecosystem and the delivery of government services such as education and health care to the community,” says Fernando de Sousa, Microsoft’s general manager for Africa Initiatives.

Pittsburgh,
PA

The Port of Pittsburgh Commission selected Adaptrum to deliver broadband wireless services to the U.S. inland waterway system with over 130 miles of seamless connectivity. This Wireless Waterways Connectivity project provides broadband connectivity to boats and barges throughout the rivers and waterways surrounding Pittsburgh to enhance waterway safety, transportation efficiency, and overall regional economic competitiveness.

Two Adaptrum base stations were deployed on the rooftop of the Carnegie Science Center to connect boats on the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers in Pittsburgh. Using Adaptrum’s ACRS2.0 technology, the project demonstrated how TV White Space can effectively connect vessels travelling at different speeds to enable VoIP services and video calls. The project displayed successful TV White Space handovers when the client boats went from one TV White Space cell to another TV White Space cell. Excellent NLOS coverage spanning several miles on all three rivers further highlights that the technology is a critical element in creating wireless waterways.

WVU,
West Virginia

West Virginia University (WVU) became the first educational campus to leverage TV White Space (TVWS) technology to extend the reach of Internet connectivity. Using FCC-certified Adaptrum TVWS radios, WVU connected stations of their elevated “personal rapid transit” (PRT) system in order to provide WiFi coverage. With some stations located several miles from the main campus, extending Internet connectivity over the rolling terrain and through buildings and trees was not economical before TV White Space.