In this thesis, a unified and sustainable framework for spectrum allocation is presented. This
multi-level operator-agnostic framework, Bring Your Own Spectrum (BYOS), is the result of
a few thought experiments reflecting the ways in which spectrum could be bought and sold as
an asset, similar to service models in cloud computing where every technical element can be
traded via an "as-a-Service" model. BYOS architectural features form the major part of this
thesis and cover four levels of abstraction as – contextual, conceptual, logical and physical.
First, the contextual aspect of BYOS is covered, which addresses the question: "why is
the framework needed?". To understand the reasons behind the need for a new framework
an exhaustive survey of history of telecommunications policy development of 32 countries
was conducted that included major economies in several key regions of the world. This
research provided insight into the role of the government, mechanisms used for allocations,
success/failure of allocations, and business models in the sector. Additionally, a review of
existing and emerging technologies was done to understand various possible mechanisms of
spectrum access.
Next, the conceptual aspect of BYOS is presented, which addresses the question: "what
does the framework look like?". For this, the information from the study above was converted
into a skeleton framework, ensuring that it covers the requirements gathered. The
framework has a three-level architecture with a quasi-static allocation scheme. The levels
of architecture are designated based on periods of ownership and the thesis presents an
original exponential-based-scale to determine the allocation periods (longest to shortest).
The framework accommodates different types of operators, categorising in terms of their
spectrum access privileges.
Following this, the thesis focuses on the physical level of the framework, where the
question: "with what?" i.e. the technical mechanisms are discussed. In this part, a novel
analogy is presented where the wireless spectrum is compared to a multi-lane, multi-level
highway. This analogy provides the basis for unit of information transport between two
points, which in turn form the trading unit. In this thesis, "Interference (transmission power)
spread over bandwidth" is chosen as the basic trading unit for the BYOS framework. Also included is a discussion on the required changes to the calculation of "population" – an
inherent part of reserve price calculation – in view of the proliferation of device using
different types of mobile technologies.
A second part of the physical framework presents an original mechanism for competition
management in view of the new framework and trading unit. Using the principles of network
traffic management, a new tracking unit – token – is introduced, which helps the regulators
keep track of the process of spectrum allocation, but in a hands-off manner. Multiple models
of using tokens in the framework are presented. Tokens are intended only for the shortterm
trades, though the initial number is determined by the total spectrum acquisitions and
cumulative participation behaviour.
Finally, the logical or system model of the framework is presented, which addresses the
question: "how to structure and organise the architecture to achieve the desired requirements".
This discussion is also divided into two parts. First, the discussion focuses on the multiple
ways to use tokens and demonstrates the different use cases by way of competition games.
Key novel points here are the discussion of competition management over multi-period
allocation and addressing the needs of public safety services. Additionally, the discussion also
focuses on unequal desirability of available spectrum lots based on spectrum characteristics,
acquisition periods, and operator’s own requirements. The second part of the discussion
focuses on various methods of implementation of this framework. A potential enterpriseblockchain
based method is explored, though there may be other better solutions.
Another focus of this thesis, which can be considered as a separate minor segment, came
out of the initial policy research was to organize and analyse this information systematically.
For this purpose, the theory of policy diffusion was explored, and the research provides
evidence for the existence of, and analyses the mechanisms used for policy diffusion in
different regions and countries.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronics, 202
