Channel Availability Characterization in TV bands for OSA devices inside buildings

Abstract

Currently, the number of wireless networks has increased especially in urban zones where the devices concentration is enormous. This fact and the huge bandwidth consumption per device have produced spectrum scarcity in the operation bands assigned for those networks. Consequently, the scientific community has been led to seek new approaches to use the spectrum. In this context, opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) has appeared as a solution that allows certain devices make use of bands that are being underutilized (e.g. TV bands). However, a key factor for developing devices with OSA capabilities is the measurement and modeling of the spectrum availability in the deployment zone. Therefore, in this work a study for modeling the channel availability in an urban zone for the potential use of short-range coverage devices with OSA capabilities is proposed.