Efficient radio resource management algorithms in opportunistic cognitive radio networks

Cognitive radio (CR) paradigm was introduced, towards addressing challenges, related with radio spectrum scarcity and increased needs for wireless networking services provision. In this direction, CR networks exploit novel networking architectures, as well as dynamic radio spectrum access techniques and methods, alleviating problems, regarding limited wireless networking resources and their inefficient usage/exploitation. CR terminals exploit innovative mechanisms to identify unused parts of radio spectrum, such as TV white spaces (TVWS) in ultra-high frequency/frequency bands following an interference-free opportunistic manner. However, introduction of CR networks creates new challenges that are highly related to the fluctuation of TVWS, as they vary over time and location, as well as issues related to diverse Quality of Service requirements. In this context, this paper proposes two radio resource management (RRM) algorithms, enabling for the opportunistic exploitation of TVWS in a centralised CR networking architecture. Efficient administration of radio spectrum resources is achieved, by exploiting a novel RRM framework, adopted in a spectrum broker, which is in charge to effectively orchestrate the available wireless networking resources. Efficient RRM algorithms performance, as a matter of maximum-possible spectrum broker benefit and radio spectrum utilisation, as well as minimum-possible spectrum fragmentation is evaluated, by considering a fixed-price and an auction-based optimization approach. Experimental tests that were conducted under controlled simulation conditions, confirmed the validity of both RRM algorithms adopted in the proposed CR networking architecture, identifying fields for further research and experimentation. Copyright (C) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.