Spatio-temporal spectrum holes and the secondary user

DSA research must explicitly consider the perspective of secondary users. This paper considers the spatio-temporal properties of spectrum holes as they impact the secondary user's communications needs. Like Weiss et. al. [1], this paper develops a taxonomy of spectrum holes from the point of view of the secondary user. Each type of spectrum hole is analyzed for the kinds of communications requirements that can be supported, illustrated, where possible, by existing measurement data. The analysis concludes that a secondary user's ability to meet their communications need varies considerably. More detailed analysis of the spatio-temporal density of spectrum holes would be necessary to further quantify these conclusions.