Experts explore dynamic spectrum usage

Key industry players, regulators, operators, manufacturers and research institutions gathered in Geneva recently for an ITU workshop on White Spaces and Cognitive Radio Systems.

Discussions centred on international and national regulations and best practices for the use of white spaces by cognitive radio systems. The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12) concluded that the current international regulatory framework can accommodate cognitive radio systems, without being changed. The development of these systems, such as TV white spaces, is therefore in essence in the hands of national regulators in each country. Regulators will depend on best practices, which are currently being studied by ITU Radiocommunication Study Groups 1, 5 and 6.

The ITU says it fully supports the use of spectrum through sharing arrangements with existing services to promote more efficient use of spectrum while protecting other services, hence providing long-term assurance for investments in radio communication systems.

ITU-R Study Group 1 (responsible for Spectrum Management studies) is expected to provide a report on best practices in spectrum management for cognitive radio systems by mid-2014. Discussions in the workshop highlighted the need for these best practices to address the coordination of geo-location databases in border areas; the coexistence between licensed and unlicensed uses in the same spectrum; equipment type approval and market surveillance; and the means of monitoring and resolving cases of harmful interference that may arise from unlicensed uses of spectrum into licensed ones.

Proceedings, a webcast and other workshop information are available at the ITU website.