LTE Signal Detector for LSA Spectrum Sharing Model in Portugal

Abstract

This paper focuses on the development of an RF sensor, essential to the deployment of the Licensed Shared Access (LSA) concept, in Portugal. This device, the “LSA warner”, which receives and processes RF signals, is used to detect the presence of long-term evolution (LTE) signals in the 2.3–2.4 GHz band. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) alongside with a software-defined radio (SDR) are the foundation for the implementation of the sensor. By using a partial LTE cell search and the received signal power, the system is able to detect the presence of LTE signals and send that information, together with the location of the device, to a repository. A communication protocol between the LSA warner and the LSA repository was developed and tested to control the mobile network base stations through the sensor. The LSA warner was tested in the field under realistic operating conditions in a pilot network that reproduced an LSA network environment.