Radio spectrum management
| industrial collaborators: | Radiocommunications Agency |
| academic collaborators: | University of Oxford |
| initiated : | 2004/02/11 |
| last updated: | 2007/05/22 |
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The aim of this Faraday Partnership research project was to understand the scope for enhanced management of the radio spectrum through better techniques for channel assignment and also informed implementations of spectrum trading.
Channel assignment
In large radio systems, it is important to use spectrum efficiently, while at the same time avoiding unacceptable levels of interference from unwanted signals. Techniques drawn mainly from graph colouring have been used to understand the relative difficulty of making good assignments to different types of service. New results compare spectrum assignments in systems of omnidirectional antennas, sectored antennas and radio link networks, and also clarify the effects of cell-splitting on spectrum requirements.
Spectrum trading
The imminent introduction of spectrum trading is the most radical development in the history of spectrum management. It opens the way for faster deployment of new radio technologies and allows spectrum usage to respond more easily to changes in user demand. However, there are also pitfalls, owing to potential incompatibilities between the commercial incentives of radio service providers and the social interests of consumers. For the first time, the complex interplay between the engineering and economic aspects of spectrum trading has been analysed, in order to understand the circumstances in which careful market regulation is needed. The results show that particular care is needed when user demand is close to saturating current spectrum allocations.
Project staff and support
John Nolan (Postgraduate Faraday Associate, University of Oxford)Robert Leese (Academic supervisor and Technology Translator)
Douglas Bush (Industrial supervisor, Radiocommunications Agency)
This project was carried out at the University of Oxford in conjunction with the Radiocommunications Agency. It was supported by an EPSRC studentship under the Mathematics CASE scheme, with the working title Natural Families of Problems in Radio Channel Assignment. Start date: October 2000; end date: March 2004.