Dynamic Spectrum Access: A New Paradigm of Converting Radio Spectrum Wastage to Wealth

Abstract

Abstract-The study presented in this paper reveals the limitations of the current fixed radio spectrum allocation policy as a major bottleneck for availability of radio spectrum for emerging wireless services, devices and applications as a result of its contributions to current radio spectrum artificial scarcity and underutilization problems. In investigating these problems scientifically, series of radio spectrum occupancy studies were carried out in developed nations of the world with little or none in most under-developed nation like Nigeria. In order to ascertain the usage profile of radio spectrum in under-developed nation like Nigeria, actual radio spectrum usage in three different locations in South-West Geo-political zone of Nigeria was carried out. The study was conducted using Aaronia AG HF-6065 V4 spectrum analyzer. The results obtained like other similar studies conducted in other parts of the world show that the usage of radio spectrum varies with time, space and frequency. The results also show that the actual radio spectrum usages in the three locations for the frequency range of 80-2200 MHz vary from 0.08% to 64.4%. In addition, the paper enumerates various ways of converting the current wasting spectrum holes to wealth as well as some economic advantages of dynamic spectrum access as a flexible radio access policy that can replace the current fixed radio spectrum allocation policy without compromising the performance of the existing radio being governed by the fixed spectrum allocation policy.

Keywords

• Spectrum holes, spectrum occupancy measurements, dynamic spectrum access, cognitive radio, spectrum trading

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