Network aware spectrum efficiency metric for heterogeneous and dynamic radio environments

In this paper, we formalize a new definition for spectrum efficiency, with the specific goal of addressing the diverse needs and requirements of various technologies and users. Existing metrics for spectrum efficiency do not account for changing radio environments. Hence, they are insufficient for future systems which employ dynamic allocation schemes. We introduce a heuristic parameterized definition for spectrum efficiency dependent on the network dynamics, radio environment and diverse requirements of technologies. This metric accounts for the frequency use and reuse, interference footprint of a user, and has a parameter to specify priority/importance for users/bits (e.g. public safety). We study the behavior and the optimal transmit power to maximize the efficiency for a point-to-point link. We numerically evaluate the efficiency for a two user case, and discuss the trade-offs involved. Overall, the proposed metric accounts for the interplay between users in a network to evaluate efficiency of spectrum utilization.