A Cloud-Based Architecture for the Internet of Spectrum Devices Over Future Wireless Networks

The dramatic increase in data rates in wireless networks has caused radio spectrum usage to be an essential and critical issue. Spectrum sharing is widely recognized as an affordable, near-term method to address this issue. This paper first characterizes the new features of spectrum sharing in future wireless networks, including heterogeneity in sharing bands, diversity in sharing patterns, crowd intelligence in sharing devices, and hyperdensification in sharing networks. Then, to harness the benefits of these unique features and promote a vision of spectrum without bounds and networks without borders, this paper introduces a new concept of the Internet of spectrum devices (IoSDs) and develops a cloud-based architecture for IoSD over future wireless networks, with the prime aim of building a bridging network among various spectrum monitoring devices and massive spectrum utilization devices, and enabling a highly efficient spectrum sharing and management paradigm for future wireless networks. Furthermore, this paper presents a systematic tutorial on the key enabling techniques of the IoSD, including big spectrum data analytics, hierarchal spectrum resource optimization, and quality of experience-oriented spectrum service evaluation. In addition, the unresolved research issues are also presented.