|
A hierarchical radio resource management scheme using small and macro-cells would allow cellular users to reuse and exploit potentially underutilized spectrum portions. To overcome the issue of limited resources that can be allocated to users, one can exploit the spectrum access system (SAS), a technology that enables better allocation of the available spectrum to users in bands below 6 GHz. However, exploiting SAS also introduces certain challenges.
After the market launch of long-term evolution advanced in 2013, the cellular ecosystem started to define the next generation of cellular networks, the so-called fifth generation (5G). The main focus of the 5G definition phase was creating a common vision for the different stakeholders of how use cases, scenarios, and services were defined. The 5G network is expected to be launched around 2020.
The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) started 5G phase 1, working on establishing specifications for a first set of features for the proposed 5G system, with a target completion date of June 2018. The newly identified services stress the importance of reducing communication latency and increasing reliability, throughput, energy efficiency, and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
The current fourth-generation (4G) system techniques for managing radio resources can maximize the quality of service (QoS) to the users but is unable to perform the resource allocation in user categorization or slicing environments. This is because resource allocation in 4G systems is performed by associating a priority to the service requested by the user.
For instance, various users may belong to different or the same categories with diverse priorities. Thus, such users should be managed by considering their priorities as well as the priority of the category in which they belong.
As a result, the current 4G approach is suboptimal and cannot fulfill the new demands of the proposed 5G services, which is expected to serve a diverse range of services with different design requirements. Key enablers, such as ultra-dense small cells with multiple antenna nodes, may be the core system elements necessary to meet the selected, challenging requirements.
The utilization of small cells will provide a more scattered connectivity, bypassing the need to route all data through a large (in terms of surface covered) centralized base station (BS). Additionally, in 5G, spectrum management can be enhanced by adding intelligence, achieving a higher and better utilization factor, and introducing real-time spectrum data management.
This article provides an overview of the SAS technology in the 3.5-GHz band to enable more dynamic, secure, and efficient allocation, management, and sharing of spectrum resources. SAS will enhance the performance of wireless broadband networks, optimizing capacity through higher spectrum utilization and ultimately delivering a high-quality experience to the end users.
Because the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already provided the SAS system requirements, the wireless community has started work on turning the vision into a functioning reality. We propose an algorithm for satisfying the required quality of certain user categories while also making it possible to increase the overall performance of the system through better allocation of resources to other user categories.
Full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, Volume 13, Number 2, June 2018 | 
;){kind=small}
