Feasibility assessment of license-shared access in 600~700 MHz and 2.3~2.4GHz Bands: A case study

Abstract

License-Shared Access (LSA) has been regarded as a feasible solution for spectrum sharing. In LSA, regulators coordinate the spectrum use between incumbents — the users who hold the licenses and have the exclusive access to the spectrum — and secondary licensees that need authorization before their access. In the midst of 2014, Taiwanese government proposed a draft of Frequency Provision Plan, in which 600~700MHz and 2.3~2.4GHz bands are considered to be opened for more flexible usage, presumably including LSA. The benefit that secondary licensees obtain from LSA depends on the behaviors of the incumbents. This paper evaluates the feasibility of LSA in these bands in Taiwan. Our experiment is based on a 26-day spectrum measurement in Taipei, Taiwan. The behaviors of the incumbents are analyzed in both temporal and spectral domains. The results show that in 600~700MHz band, only narrowband incumbents were detected during small and sporadic time intervals. No incumbent activity was observed in 2.3~2.4GHz band. The experiment shows that low spectrum usage in these bands allows LSA licensees to provide services with predictable quality of service (QoS).