EARS: Toward Harmonious Coexistence of Heterogeneous Wireless Services

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The radio frequency spectrum that can be used for wireless communications is a finite but extremely valuable resource. With the proliferation of new wireless applications, the use of the radio spectrum has intensified to the point that there is a critical need of new spectrum-sharing mechanisms and improved spectrum policies. In the recent NSF workshop report on Enhancing Access to the Radio Spectrum (EARS), several Grand Challenges are outlined for the research community to realize the vision of enhancing the efficiency of future spectrum use. One of the Grand Challenges is harmonious co-existence of heterogeneous wireless technologies, with the goal of accommodating multiple wireless access technologies that would operate in the same radio spectrum band. The proposed research addresses the co-existence Grand Challenge by investigating the following three tightly-coupled research areas: (1) Coexistence between Wi-Fi and cellular on unlicensed bands; (2) Coexistence of radar and cellular on radar bands; and (3) New software and hardware testbeds for coexistence. The proposed research activities will catalyze broader impact activities in multiple dimensions: (1) improving and influencing future spectrum policies by the government; (2) transitioning technologies to industry; (3) developing new education materials and software tools to be used in classroom; and (4) attracting and engaging students, particularly female and under-represented students in spectrum-sharing research activities. The proposed research addresses the coexistence Grand Challenge by tackling two of the most popular wireless services (Wi-Fi and cellular) on radio spectrum bands. The proposed research on coexistence between Wi-Fi and cellular on unlicensed bands takes a new approach to resolve the potential conflict between the two technologies by shifting focus to the user side and maximizing total user satisfaction. The research on coexistence between radar and cellular on the radar bands explores the largely untapped radar spectrum that the government is considering for coexistence. The proposed architecture goes well beyond the current Spectrum Access Server concept by considering some unique characteristics and challenges associated with radar systems. New software and hardware testbeds will be developed to offer the much-needed facility for the research community for validation and experimentation of new approaches for coexistence. The outcomes of the research will be shared with government and regulatory agencies to help improve spectrum policies, which are crucial to enable the proposed new coexistence technologies to make impacts in the real world.