NeTS-ProWiN: Efficient Spectrum Reuse Without Harmful Interference to Existing Systems

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

Current wireless systems are characterized by wasteful static spectrum allocation, fixed radio functions, and limited network coordination between mobile devices. Recent studies have shown that a surprisingly large portion of the radio spectrum goes unused, but today's wireless systems are not capable of tapping into this vast resource. The project consists of a systematic investigation of algorithms and mathematical models for efficiently reusing spectrum without causing harmful interference to and without requiring coordination with existing wireless systems. The approach is based on the use of frequency agile radios that are capable of rapidly tuning to different frequency channels under programmatic control. The main research objective is to develop efficient algorithms for frequency agile radios to discover and access unused spectrum holes without causing harmful interference to existing systems. Distributed algorithms are also needed for optimally allocating "harvested" spectrum and available power resources to enable the radios to form a dynamic frequency agile network. The project involves the implementation and performance evaluation of spectrum reuse and radio resource allocation protocols on a specialized distributed simulation platform designed to accurately take into account physical layer characteristics and to allow rapid porting to prototype radio hardware. The research also hopes to lead to a better understanding of the fundamental capacity limits of frequency agile networks in non-cooperative wireless environments. The broader aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility and enormous potential of frequency agile networks and to inspire further research into innovative spectrum sharing technologies.