Enforcing dynamic spectrum access with spectrum permits

Abstract

Given the flexibility of cognitive radio devices, a user can easily transmit on radio frequencies outside of her allocated range, creating harmful interference to legitimate transmissions. Therefore, how to effectively enforce allocated spectrum is a key challenge when deploying dynamic spectrum access in practice. We propose and demonstrate Gelato, a spectrum permit system to enforce dynamic spectrum access. By embedding spectrum permits into data transmissions, Gelato intrinsically links each user's spectrum usage with her license, thus proving the right of spectrum usage. Trusted police nodes, who patrol transmission areas, can reliably detect illegal transmissions that lack of valid spectrum permits. In this demo, we will demonstrate a prototype of Gelato built on widely available USRP radios. We will illustrate how Gelato transmits and verifies spectrum permits, and its capability of detecting malicious attacks.