Characterization of the missed spectrum-access opportunities under dynamic spectrum sharing

Abstract

The radio frequency (RF) spectrum has been observed to be underutilized in the space, time, and frequency dimensions. To improve its utilization and meet growing demand, dynamic spectrum-sharing models are being investigated. In order to maximize the use of spectrum, we study how much of the spectrum can be potentially shared and how much is actually shared under the constraints defined by a typical spectrum-sharing model. We characterize and quantify the recovered spectrum using statically defined constraints on the secondary-user (SU) transceivers of minimum primary-user (PU) detection sensitivity and maximum SU transmit power. Simulation experiments reveal the impact of conservative worst-case RF-environment assumptions on missed spectrum-access opportunities.