Beijing Spectrum Survey for Cognitive Radio Applications

In order to investigate the status of the radio spectrum usage with different services in Beijing, we have conducted a 24-hour spectrum measurement and spectrum usage pattern analysis in May 2012 in the frequency bands ranging from 440 MHz to 2700 MHz. Based on the measurement results, we try to identify the suitable bands for new spectrum access technologies such as cognitive radio which can improve the efficiency of spectrum usage. The results from the spectrum measurements taken over a two weekday period reveal that a significant amount of spectrum has a very low occupancy over the time. On average, the actual spectrum usage in all bands is about 15.2%. The observed low spectrum occupancy in the business center in Beijing indicates that there is a great potential for employing the dynamic spectrum access technology such as the cognitive radio to accommodate enormous demands for future wireless services and improve the vacant spectrum usage.