Design of a Truthful Auction Mechanism for Wi-Fi Spectrum Sharing in the 6 GHz Band

Efficient spectrum utilization in unlicensed bands has become increasingly crucial as Industry 4.0 advances, driven by technologies such as 5G/6G and Wi-Fi 7. While private 5G and IEEE 802.11be networks in the unlicensed 6 GHz band present significant opportunities, existing techniques are often inadequate to meet industrial applications’ diverse Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Therefore, this paper proposes a truthful auction mechanism that efficiently allocates unused Wi-Fi channels, prioritizing users based on latency needs. The proposed framework enables seamless coexistence between Wi-Fi and 5G/6G systems in unlicensed spectrum environments by utilizing a Decentralized Channel Administration Database (DCAD) to manage airtime allocation. This ensures that latency-sensitive applications are adequately supported while minimizing interference at receivers. Additionally, the framework integrates a Q-learning-based optimization mechanism, leveraging model-free Reinforcement Learning to allocate spectrum resources dynamically. Simulation results validate the solution’s effectiveness, demonstrating enhanced user utility, reduced interference at receivers, and scalable spectrum management. This approach is well-suited for next-generation wireless networks, where interference management at receivers is essential for maintaining reliable communication.