Part 15++: An Enhanced ID-Based Approach for Etiquette and Enforcement Management in Unlicensed Band

The simple and well-conceived global rules for the unlicensed bands operating in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band has enabled tremendous product and service innovation. However, the argument can be made that the growing use of unlicensed bands by greater numbers and more heterogenous devices could lead to certain “tragedies of the commons.” The current regulatory approach limits how devices may operate in space-time-frequency along with restriction on transmit power, antenna specification and synchronization. However, if these devices could be better informed about an impending interference through simple alterations to the regulations, then it might be possible to improve both device and overall use of the spectrum. Thus, we propose Part 15++, where unlicensed devices make use of an enhanced identification (ID) mechanism to identify the operator, interferer, victim, and resolution mechanism for a system. With denser and broader use of these bands, we show that creating a common ID method might allow for a more efficient coexistence among heterogeneous technologies. Admittedly, there are numerous benefits and costs to consider with the proposed ID extension, but in this paper, we explore improving throughput followed by a sensitivity analysis on the information provided in the ID structure.