On spectrum sharing between communications and air traffic control radar systems

Abstract

The feasibility of dynamic spectrum sharing between air traffic control radar and wireless communications systems is investigated via a numerical simulation. The temporal variations of interference power due to periodic rotations of the radar antenna and the interference attenuation resulting from frequency separation can substantially contribute to link loss. Consequently, even in the scenario where cellular devices are located close to the radar, there still will be periods of time when the mutual interference is low enough such that cellular systems can take opportunity to transmit. Numerical results show that in the scenario where spectrum sharing between a single cell and the single rotating radar is considered, although both systems are subject to certain levels of performance degradation due to the impact each has on the other, the design of efficient spectral sharing mechanisms is still possible.