Implementation Issues of Cognitive Radio techniques for Ka-band (17.7–19.7 GHz) SatComs

The usable satellite spectrum has become scarce due to continuously increasing demand for broadband multimedia, broadcast and interactive services. In this context, investigating efficient spectrum coexistence techniques is a crucial challenge in order to enhance the spectral efficiency of future satellite systems. Herein, we study a satellite-terrestrial coexistence scenario where a Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) downlink coexists with the Fixed Service (FS) point to point microwave links in the Ka-band (17.7-19.7 GHz). First, we identify various practical challenges and provide possible solutions in order to allow this coexistence. Then we propose four different sensing and avoidance schemes in order to protect FSS satellite terminals from the harmful FS interference. Further, we evaluate the performance of one of the proposed solutions in the considered scenario with the help of theoretical and numerical analysis. More specifically, we focus on harmful FS detection problem in order to guarantee the sufficient protection of FSS terminals. It is shown that the FS harmful interference can be reliably detected with the help of an additional dipole antenna and this solution further overcomes the noise uncertainty problem encountered while sensing with the satellite dish.