A simple method for dynamic frequency allocation considering the total interference impact on the bit error probability

Initiatives to open certain frequency bands for Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) are ongoing and examples are WAPECS and White Space Coalition. A key issue in DSA is how to measure both the occupancy and other undesired interference in an open frequency band to make a decision whether or not it can be used for a certain service. A common method to detect unknown interference is to consider the interference power only by using energy detection. This can give large errors since the interference impact can be severely dependent on the interference waveform. In this paper, a frequency allocation method is shown where the total interference waveform properties, in terms of interference impact, are estimated by a simple measurement. An example is shown where the frequency allocation algorithm outperforms a traditional allocation based on pure interference power detection only.