Coordinated Dynamic Spectrum Sharing for 5G and Beyond Cellular Networks

Current trends in spectrum regulation show that more and more unlicensed and shared spectrum bands are poised to be opened up for mobile communication. However, the question remains how to best utilize this spectrum and build efficient networks, and if the time has come for newer approaches to be considered for the next generation system. In this work, we propose a coordinated shared spectrum framework that can be considered for next generation cellular standardization. In designing the framework, we aim to improve upon the current unlicensed access schemes toward increasing spectral efficiency in highly-dense networks. To this end, we demonstrate that with the proposed framework both throughput and access delay can be significantly improved over the state-of-the-art LAA system. Also, by optimizing access delay and improving inter-operator resource fairness, the system is designed to be more amenable for operators to invest in deploying networks using shared spectrum. We further show that, by taking advantage of small timescale variations in traffic demand, large statistical multiplexing gains are possible through dynamic sharing instead of static, hard splitting of shared spectrum, as in the current CBRS system.