Abstract
Dynamic spectrum allocation (DSA) has been cited as a promising mechanism for managing the radio spectrum for coexisting systems. The goal of the DSA scheme is to increase the performance of networks in the shared spectrum, by providing a more efficient way of utilisation. This work addresses analytically the impact of multi-cell, multi-operator interference on the overall spectrum when multiple operators co-exist and share a common pool of radio resources. We propose a centralised DSA scheme that is able to capture the interference level and interact dynamically to minimise interference and enhance spectrum utilisation while maintaining a satisfactory level of QoS. Furthermore, a concise system model and framework able to describe the interaction among different operators is presented. The DSA algorithm has been investigated for co-located and displaced cellular networks. The simulation results indicate that the proposed DSA algorithm significantly outperforme the fixed spectrum allocation (FSA) ensuring minimum level of interference in the system. The QoS of the overall system has been improved in the DSA compared to traditional FSA. Moreover, the proposed algorithm enhanced the spectrum utilization by 26% guaranteeing that all operators are given fair access to the shared spectrum. © 2011 IEEE.