Spectrum occupancy at UHF TV band for cognitive radio applications

Cognitive radio (CR) is one of the promising technologies in providing dynamics of the radio spectrum. Studies have shown that the spectrum is underutilized mainly due to the current management of the spectrum. CR through opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) is expected to increase the spectrum usage especially in the TV broadcasting band which is undergoing major changes. These changes are due to the digital transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting which will allow efficient use of the spectrum. Apart from that, the success in the development of IEEE 802.22 wireless regional area network (WRAN) standard have also paved way to the reality of unlicensed devices operating in the licensed band. In this context, this paper presents the spectrum occupancy of the UHF TV band in the frequency range from 470 to 798 MHz in an outdoor environment of a suburban area in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The measurements are analyzed and spectrum holes are identified. The obtained results demonstrate significant amount of spectrum available for deployment of cognitive radio systems and IEEE 802.22 WRAN standard in the UHF TV broadcasting band.