From protocol stack to technology circle: exploring regulation, efficiency metrics, and the high-dimensional design space of wireless systems

Considerations of efficiency often play an important role in debates on how to allocate new spectrum. Regulators want to maximize the common good, and try to use efficiency as a tool to do so; consequently, all the stakeholders strive to show that their proposal leads to efficient use of resources. However, often the discussion on particular methods or allocations becomes deadlocked. In this article we explore what is meant by efficiency metrics in wireless networks and what underlies the widely divergent claims for the relative efficiency of competing solutions. Our treatment attempts to take into account the regulatory and policy viewpoints on the development of system efficiency metrics. We will argue that it is important to define system optimization considerations and design goals for future wireless systems more clearly than has been done to date. We will show that although this may sound simple, it is far from it. We argue that efficiency needs to be analyzed within a full N-dimensional design space, and that connections between technology and policy need to be stated explicitly.