Microsoft teams up with BT, Nokia and Samsung for high-speed wireless broadband

Several major technology firms, including Microsoft, BT, Nokia and Samsung, are to trial the use of white space technology in Cambridge to demonstrate its ability to deliver high-speed mobile broadband in remote regions.

V3.co.uk first revealed the project on 10 June, when mobile wireless data service provider Neul said that it was working alongside Microsoft to evaluate the use of the technology, which it dubbed 'Weightless'.

The trial was officially announced on Monday by The Cambridge TV White Spaces Consortium, which acts as the umbrella group for the companies involved.

The group said that the technology is key in meeting the growing data demands on mobile networks in the UK.

Jim Beveridge, director of technology affairs at Microsoft, told V3.co.uk that the technology is ideal as it operates in frequency ranges below 1GHz, which makes it suitable for long-distance coverage and in-building penetration.

"The huge upsurge in the use of smartphones and tablets is putting a huge strain on mobile networks, so we need to use the spectrum that is available as efficiently as possible," he said.

"With white space technology you can access spectrum that is not being used in a certain area, and then offer high-speed broadband over a wide area. The trial will show how this works and that it does so without interfering with other spectrum holdings."