A solution to the wireless data spectrum shortage: TM (not the meditation)

Wireless is currently wrestling with an industry-wide problem; the wireless-data-spectrum-shortage. You see, spectrum carries the wireless data signal between the carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, and the customer or user.

When iPhone and Android hit the marketplace, demand for data exploded. In fact, it has grown from a few hundred apps in the BlackBerry days, to millions today. And demand continues to rise.

The problem is, we have a limited amount of wireless data spectrum to use. The challenge is, how do we meet the ever-increasing demand? That’s the question and challenge which affects every wireless player, network, smartphone maker and in fact all corners of the industry.

Over nearly 20 years, there have been new ways to stretch the amount of data we can carry over existing spectrum. This has helped, but the problem continues to accelerate as we watch television, movies, videos, listen to music, have conference calls and so much more.

So, what is the next answer to this ever-increasing problem? TM or Transpositional Modulation, in development today, may be the solution to spectrum shortage. TM technology helps networks better manage the spectrum they have and use. It mixes several streams of data over a single stream.

According to the IEEE Communications Society, TM permits a single carrier wave to transmit two or more data signals at the same time. They say this is unlike other modulation methods. It does so without interfering with the integrity of the individual streams.

This sounds like a real potential solution to this spectrum problem which we wrestle with today.

Is TM Technologies a solution to wireless data spectrum shortage?

A company called TM Technologies is one of the players in this space. They are working with the U.S. military on developing this technology.

That being said, if TM can help the military, can’t it also help the commercial wireless marketplace. That is another large growth opportunity for the technology and the players in that space.

That means it can help wireless networks like AT&T , T-Mobile TMUS and Verizon VZ . In fact, it could also help resellers like Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Optimum, Cox and countless others. It may also play a role in the emerging private wireless sector of the wireless industry.

Wireless continues to grow, and new sectors are being created all the time. This is all good, however the limited spectrum always plays a role.

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, Celona and more

This can also help others in the wireless industry like Qualcomm QCOM , Ericsson ERIC , Nokia NOK , Celona, Cisco {symbol link=CSCO], Intel INTC , HPE HPE , Huawei, ZTE and more.

Remember, problems are not permanent. They happen from time to time until we develop solutions. That’s where we are with the wireless data spectrum crunch the industry is wrestling with.

The limited wireless data spectrum is not a problem that is going away. That being said, we have been developing solutions over time. Yesterday, we developed solutions which have helped. Today, TM may be the next step.

Going forward, since we cannot get more spectrum, we will develop new ideas to squeeze even more data onto our wireless spectrum.

It’s a continual problem the wireless industry has been wrestling with over the past nearly twenty years. Unless and until we can develop new ways to send wireless data in different ways, we will continue to wrestle with this. And continue to develop new solutions like Transpositional Modulation or TM.

Read more: AI, FWA, 5-G and satellite are the next growth engines for wireless