Safe Spectrum Sharing: Radio Dynamic Zones

Spectrum access challenges currently create significant constraints on experimentation and testing at wireless testbeds. Automatic spectrum sharing that provides safe access to additional frequencies beyond those reserved exclusively for testing will relax these constraints, and thus increase the nation's capacity to conduct wireless research and development. Increasing this capacity will help accelerate growth and global leadership of the US communications industry, strengthen academic research into wireless systems, and benefit other spectrum-dependent sectors such as radar, public safety, and national defense.

Spectrum sharing is not a panacea, however, and incumbent spectrum users are rightly deeply concerned about the possible impact of spectrum sharing approaches on their respective wireless applications. A concept being pursued by the research community to explore, and hopefully allay, these concerns is a Radio Dynamic Zone (RDZ). In essence, an RDZ is a spatial volume at a particular geographic location where wireless experimentation, and spectrum sharing approaches in particular, can be performed in a controlled way and specifically in such a manner that the potential impact on incumbent spectrum users can be reasoned about and monitored so as to understand and reduce the associated impact and risk. RDZs will be equipped with the necessary tools, mechanisms, equipment and processes to realize such safe exploration.