Assessing the Sharing Potential in the 3.5 GHz Band: An Analytical Approach

The three-tiered spectrum sharing proposal for the 3.5 GHz band appears as one of the most structured sharing guidelines developed by the FCC. This tiered-sharing proposal makes the 3.5 GHz band a flexible sharing framework; however, flexibility comes at the cost of increased complexity of the underlying physical network model, which inhibits the direct assessment of the quality levels available to incumbents or prospective service providers. Here we propose a stochastic framework that considers operation of multiple service providers that deploy radio infrastructure that will operate in the 3.5 GHz band. Using this framework, we can evaluate network performance, here represented as potential throughput, for a range of spectrum sharing scenarios involving the operation of a spectrum access service. Effectively, we can explore the conditions for optimal and fair allocation of spectrum channels between the priority access and generalized access tiers, and identify scenarios under which interested providers seek a priority access license, instead of opting for generalized access. The results produced by our framework are intended to help policy makers and prospective service providers make informed decisions, grounded in physical reality, on resource access and applicable regulation.