This project is addressing the following questions: (1) What dynamic spectrum sharing mechanisms provide the most benefit to both types of users? Preemptive spectrum use by public safety users may incur undue cost to commercial users which have their connections cut. At the other extreme, simple sharing that allocates channels whenever available regardless of caller type may incur too high a blocking to public safety. Many intermediate mechanisms can be formulated. These mechanisms can all be compared with the current mechanism that divides the total bandwidth into rigidly segregated public safety and commercial sub-bands. (2) What is the cost of choosing these different mechanisms in terms of blocking for public safety users and economic cost to commercial users?
This project is developing methods that will allow a more precise characterization of the benefit of sharing mechanisms and techniques for more optimal sharing mechanisms. Methods that draw on reinforcement learning and network pricing are being applied to the problem of developing optimal sharing mechanisms.
This effort will help quantify the benefit of dynamic spectrum sharing and provide assurances to public safety and commercial users that the sharing concept will meet their separate needs.
