Cognitive Radio Policy and Regulation

This book offers a timely reflection on how the proliferation of advanced wireless communications technologies, particularly cognitive radio (CR) can be enabled by thoroughly-considered policy and appropriate regulation. It looks at the prospects of CR from the divergent standpoints of technological development and economic market reality. The book provides a broad survey of various techno-economic and policy aspects of CR development and provides the reader with an understanding of the complexities involved as well as a toolbox of possible solutions to enable the evolutionary leap towards successful implementation of disruptive CR technology or indeed any other novel wireless technologies. Cognitive Radio Policy and Regulation showcases the original ideas and concepts introduced into the field of CR and dynamic spectrum access policy over nearly four years of work within COST Action IC0905 TERRA, a think-tank with participants from more than 20 countries. The book’s subject matter includes:
• deployment scenarios for CR;
• technical approaches for improved spectrum sharing;
• economic aspects of CR policy and regulation;
• impact assessment of cognitive and software-defined radio; and
• novel approaches to spectrum policy and regulation for the age of CR.
The book will interest researchers in the field of wireless communications, especially those working with standardization and policy issues, as well as industry and regulatory professionals concerned with radio spectrum management and the general development of wireless communications. Considerable complementary reference material such as power point slides and technical reports that illustrates and expands on the contents of the book is provided on the companion website to the book, found at http://www.cost-terra.org/CR-policy-book

Arturas Medeisis started his career in a national regulatory authority where he learned the ropes of policy and spectrum access regulation for nearly every type of wireless technology. He then worked at the European Radiocommunications Office, where he got to know the international aspects of wireless communications policy development and standardisation, observing the difficult traditional paths that need to be travelled by every new candidate wireless system/technology seeking access to radio spectrum and hence their place on the market. Now having moved to academia he has an enriching perspective of looking at the current status quo with wireless policy development from outside the system and thus realising the opportunities for change.

Oliver Holland complements the lead editorial team with a solid research track in the academic world and heavy involvement in major recent initiatives in R&D and standardisation of CR. Doctor Holland is currently serving as Project Manager and Deputy Coordinator of the ICT-ACROPOLIS Network of Excellence, working on numerous aspects of cognitive radio and related technologies. He holds various leadership roles in the IEEE “Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks Standards Committee” (DySPAN-SC) and IEEE 1900 standards and among other distinctions has served in various leadership capacities for numerous conferences and journals covering Cognitive Radio and Dynamic Spectrum Access. He has published over 100 papers, which have been cited more than 600 times. Doctor Holland’s broad technical experience and involvements make him ideally suited to impart additional relevance to the book, particularly with respect to a detailed knowledge of current developments in R&D and industrial-related initiatives such as standardisation. In his view the book would fill the important gap between regulation and CR research, aiming to advance regulation in a way that can make CR a deployment reality.