Castle in the Air : A Domain Name System for Spectrum

This article envisions the foundational infrastructure for a true wireless Internet. The domain name system (DNS) for addressing allowed the Internet to scale as a decentralized, loosely-coupled system. A similar system for the wireless communication would allow devices to negotiate frequently assignments and other attributes dynamically. The traditional, static approach to spectrum allocation creates massive inefficiencies, which will become increasingly problematic as wireless demand grows. A DNS for spectrum could be based on the database the Federal Communications Commission recently mandated for devices operating in the “White Spaces” around broadcast television channels. Such an infrastructure would enable rapid growth and innovation in next-generation mobile devices and applications