Coexistence of Wireless Technologies in the 5 GHz Bands: A Survey of Existing Solutions and a Roadmap for Future Research

TLDR

The 5 GHz spectrum, favored for its favorable propagation and ample bandwidth, is increasingly sought after by Wi‑Fi, cellular, and other stakeholders as the 2.4 GHz band becomes congested, prompting regulators to open more unlicensed spectrum and leading to overlapping licensed and unlicensed networks. This paper offers a comprehensive survey of coexistence scenarios among wireless technologies operating in the 5 GHz bands. The authors examine coexistence challenges between LTE, Wi‑Fi, radar, DSRC, and various 802.11 protocols, highlight an emerging issue between Cellular V2X and DSRC/Wi‑Fi, and review standardization efforts, existing solutions, and open research questions.

Abstract

As the 2.4 GHz spectrum band has become significantly congested, there is growing interest from the Wi-Fi proponents, cellular operators, and other stakeholders to use the spectrum in the 5 GHz bands. The 5 GHz bands have emerged as the most coveted bands for launching new wireless applications and services, because of their relatively favorable propagation characteristics and the relative abundance of spectrum therein. To meet the exploding demand for more unlicensed spectrum, regulators across the world such as the United States Federal Communications Commission and the European Electronic Communications Committee have recently started considerations for opening up additional spectrum in the 5 GHz bands for use by unlicensed devices. Moreover, to boost cellular network capacity, wireless service providers are considering the deployment of unlicensed long term evaluation (LTE) in the 5 GHz bands. This and other emerging wireless technologies and applications have resulted in likely deployment scenarios where multiple licensed and unlicensed networks operate in overlapping spectrum. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the various coexistence scenarios in the 5 GHz bands. In this paper, we discuss coexistence issues between a number of important wireless technologies-viz., LTE and Wi-Fi, radar and Wi-Fi, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) and Wi-Fi, and coexistence among various 802.11 protocols operating in the 5 GHz bands. Additionally, we identify and provide brief discussions on an impending coexistence issue-one between Cellular V2X and DSRC/Wi-Fi. We summarize relevant standardization initiatives, explain existing coexistence solutions, and discuss open research problems.