The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has announced the completion of the IEEE 802.22 wireless network standard, which has been in the works since 2004. Utilizing unused white spaces between channels in the TV frequency spectrum, the 802.22 standard will serve Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRANs), which are meant to bring broadband access to sparsely populated rural areas, as well as to developing countries.
Wide Regional Area Networks utilizing the IEEE 802.22 standard will operate within 100 kilometers (62 miles) range from the base station, resulting in a coverage area of around 31,080 square kilometers (12,000 square miles).
The maximum data transmission speed is up to 22 Mbps per channel "without interfering with reception of existing TV broadcast stations." The standard is said to be operating in the VHF/UHF TV broadcast bands in frequencies between 54 MHz to 698 MHz in the United States.
More information can be found at the IEEE 802.22 Working Group's website, or in a PDF outlining the details of the standard.