1,266 research outputs found
Spectrum Sharing in mmWave Cellular Networks via Cell Association, Coordination, and Beamforming
This paper investigates the extent to which spectrum sharing in mmWave
networks with multiple cellular operators is a viable alternative to
traditional dedicated spectrum allocation. Specifically, we develop a general
mathematical framework by which to characterize the performance gain that can
be obtained when spectrum sharing is used, as a function of the underlying
beamforming, operator coordination, bandwidth, and infrastructure sharing
scenarios. The framework is based on joint beamforming and cell association
optimization, with the objective of maximizing the long-term throughput of the
users. Our asymptotic and non-asymptotic performance analyses reveal five key
points: (1) spectrum sharing with light on-demand intra- and inter-operator
coordination is feasible, especially at higher mmWave frequencies (for example,
73 GHz), (2) directional communications at the user equipment substantially
alleviate the potential disadvantages of spectrum sharing (such as higher
multiuser interference), (3) large numbers of antenna elements can reduce the
need for coordination and simplify the implementation of spectrum sharing, (4)
while inter-operator coordination can be neglected in the large-antenna regime,
intra-operator coordination can still bring gains by balancing the network
load, and (5) critical control signals among base stations, operators, and user
equipment should be protected from the adverse effects of spectrum sharing, for
example by means of exclusive resource allocation. The results of this paper,
and their extensions obtained by relaxing some ideal assumptions, can provide
important insights for future standardization and spectrum policy.Comment: 15 pages. To appear in IEEE JSAC Special Issue on Spectrum Sharing
and Aggregation for Future Wireless Network
Hybrid Spectrum Sharing in mmWave Cellular Networks
While spectrum at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies is less scarce than at
traditional frequencies below 6 GHz, still it is not unlimited, in particular
if we consider the requirements from other services using the same band and the
need to license mmWave bands to multiple mobile operators. Therefore, an
efficient spectrum access scheme is critical to harvest the maximum benefit
from emerging mmWave technologies. In this paper, we introduce a new hybrid
spectrum access scheme for mmWave networks, where data is aggregated through
two mmWave carriers with different characteristics. In particular, we consider
the case of a hybrid spectrum scheme between a mmWave band with exclusive
access and a mmWave band where spectrum is pooled between multiple operators.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study proposing hybrid spectrum
access for mmWave networks and providing a quantitative assessment of its
benefits. Our results show that this approach provides major advantages with
respect to traditional fully licensed or fully unlicensed spectrum access
schemes, though further work is needed to achieve a more complete understanding
of both technical and non technical implications
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