Impact of Regulation on TV White Space Implementation in Brazil: Laboratory and Field Analyses Using 5G-RANGE System

This paper presents the results of field tests conducted in the project "Implementation of TV White Spaces (TVWS) for Internet Access in Brazil". This study evaluates the feasibility and regulatory implications of TVWS in rural and remote areas. TVWS systems are promising for sensor network applications, enabling efficient and long-range connectivity. The experiments assess the coexistence of TVWS signals, applying, for example, the Remote Area Access Network System for the Fifth Generation (5G-RANGE) using the generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) technique, with the Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) system. Laboratory tests determined the protection ratio (PR) between digital television (DTV) signals and interfering signals, with minimum PR values of -31.38 dB on channel <i>n</i>-1 and -33.24 dB on channel n+1 for 5G-RANGE using GFDM, highlighting its low out-of-band emission (OOBE). Field tests confirmed the laboratory results, with the worst recorded PR causing interference being -30.2 dB on channel n-1. The power restriction to 1 Wp limited coverage, allowing 96 Mbps in 24 MHz BW at 14.7 km from the base station. These results highlight that regulatory adjustments can be made to support TVWS deployment in Brazil.