Smart spectrum access algorithms in mobile TV white space networks for utility maximization

Abstract

The demand for mobile computing services has grown significantly and rapidly in the last few years. This has led to a serious challenge on the quality of experience for mobile users. The wireless network consists of consumer devices that communicate simultaneously on a shared and severely-limited spectrum. In 2010, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has unleashed 500MHz of newly available broadcast TV Whitespace for opportunistic unlicensed use, i.e., the unlicensed secondary users are allowed to coexist and use the licensed spectrum. In fact, the mobile TV white space network is a wireless cognitive radio network, where the overall network utility is adversely affected not only by interference due to the broadcast nature of the wireless medium but also by the absence of the intelligence for spectrum opportunity. Thus, this new technology innovation requires an optimal resource allocation in a collaborative and smart manner. With uncontrolled resource allocation, secondary users may cause overwhelming interference to the primary users, and the network operating point can be highly unfair.