Exploring radio environment map architectures for spectrum sharing in the radar bands

The need for extra spectrum to support future 5G networks and the fact that a large amount of spectrum below 6 GHz is allocated for different radar systems have motivated regulatory bodies and wireless researchers to investigate the feasibility of Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) in radar bands. Moreover, the next generation of infrastructures and devices will need to be more flexible to support a much wider range of application services, operate over much wider bandwidths, and exploit multiple radio access technologies. Radio Environment Maps (REMs) can be utilized to enhance the awareness of network entities of their operational radio environment. In the context of potential spectrum sharing in radar bands, REMs can be used to determine spectrum usage and propagation patterns of different incumbent radar systems operating in a given area. This information in turn can be utilized to establish different radar systems protection requirements in a particular band, and can also help to mitigate any interference between incumbent radar systems and Secondary Users (SUs). In this paper, based on spectrum measurement campaigns in Finland and Ireland, we explore the functional architecture of REMs for potential spectrum sharing in radar bands. We argue that the unique operating principle and signal characteristics of this type of incumbent needs to be considered in implementation of the sensor network, REM communication protocol, and REM architecture. We also discuss the potential of REM to facilitate the use of more advanced interference cancellation or avoidance technologies such as temporal sharing that can significantly reduce exclusion zones.