Developing a standard for TV white space coexistence: technical challenges and solution approaches

TV white space refers to TV channels that are not used by any licensed services at a particular location and at a particular time. To exploit this unused TVWS spectrum for improved spectrum efficiency, regulatory agencies have begun developing regulations to permit its use this TVWS by unlicensed wireless devices as long as they do not interfere with any licensed services. In the future many heterogeneous, and independently operated, wireless networks may utilize the TVWS. Coexistence between these networks is essential in order to provide a high level of QoS to end users. Consequently, the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN standards committee has approved the P802.19.1 standardization project to specify radio-technology-independent methods for coexistence among dissimilar or independently operated wireless devices and networks. In this article we provide a detailed overview of the regulatory status of TVWS in the United States and Europe, analyze the coexistence problem in TVWS, and summarize existing coexisting mechanisms to improve coexistence in TVWS. The main focus of the article is the IEEE P802.19.1 standardization project, including its requirements and system design, and the major technical challenges ahead.