Patent ID: 8644851

Claim:
An apparatus comprising a processor and memory, the memory including computer program code, wherein the memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to: receive geographic location signaling associated with particular determined geographical locations of two or more white-space devices of a network; receive uncertainty indication signaling for respective uncertainties associated with the particular determined geographic locations of the two or more white-space devices, the uncertainty indication signalling indicative of respective uncertainty areas within which the two or more white-space devices may be respectively located according to errors associated with the way in which the particular determined geographical locations of the two or more white-space devices are determined; and determine the one or more channels available for use in communication by the respective two or more white-space devices in their particular determined geographical locations by using the geographic location signaling and uncertainty indication signaling and channel availability data configured to indicate one or more channels available for communication within respective geographical sub-regions of a geographical region, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the available channels by being configured to: determine the different respective geographical sub-regions which are at least partially overlapped by the respective uncertainty areas associated with each of the determined white-space device locations; determine a defined geometric area over which the network intends to operate, and identify one or more channels available for communication between each of the respective white-space devices based on common channels available for use within the respective uncertainty areas associated with each of the white-space devices and the channels available for use within the defined geometric area; and wherein the apparatus is configured to, when the apparatus identifies a pair of white-space devices in the network that have no common channels available for use for communication, identify an indirect communication path between the pair of white-space devices using channels available for use between other white-space devices of the network and each of the white-space devices of the pair.