Spectral Occupancy and Interference Studies in support of Cognitive Radio Technology Deployment

This paper describes the high value of cognitive radio technology and characterizes the opportunity space in four distinct classes. A Chicago-based spectrum occupancy study illustrates the opportunity showing that 82.6% of the spectral capacity is unused. A set of spectral signatures is presented for common devices in the unlicensed frequency band with the view that this technique can be widely deployed across the spectrum. The limitations of current network simulation tools in an interference environment are identified. Finally, the paper briefly discusses several of the non-technology related issues that impact the deployment of cognitive radio techniques.