Cognitive Radio Networks: The Spectrum Supply Chain Paradigm

Cognitive radio provides a basis for addressing the practical issue of spectrum scarcity. This issue has been raised due to the continuing advances in wireless technology, which has led to ever-increasing demand for larger bandwidth. The issue of spectrum scarcity has been exacerbated due to inefficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Adopting the novel idea of cognitive radio for secondary usage of underutilized spectrum results in the existence of two worlds of wireless communications going on side by side: the legacy wireless world and the cognitive wireless world. Spectrum holes (i.e., the unused spectrum subbands) are the medium, through which these two worlds dynamically interact. Releasing subbands by primary users allows the cognitive radio users to sustain communication and perform their normal tasks. Combination of the two wireless worlds can be viewed as a spectrum-supply chain network, in which the legacy owners and their customers (primary users) play the role of the suppliers and cognitive radios (secondary users) play the role of consumers. This paper discusses two classes of spectrum-supply chain networks based on two regimes, one allows open-access to the spectrum, and the other is a market-driven regime. Each one of them has its own merits and suitability for a different environment; therefore, they have complementary roles. Analytic models are developed for these two classes of networks, which allow for analysis of both equilibrium and transient behaviors.