| Recent studies have forecasted major growth in mobile broadband traffic. Due to the predicted high growth rate of mobile broadband traffic over the coming years (demand), there is a need for more wireless network capacity (supply). One of the major approaches to expand mobile wireless capacity is to add more spectrum to the market by enabling "spectrum sharing". The FCC has issued many reports indicating that the US is dangerously close to running out of capacity for mobile data, which is why the FCC and the NTIA have been working continually to enable spectrum sharing.;The spectrum usage rights granted by the Federal government to spectrum users/licensees come with the expectation of protection from harmful interference. As a consequence of the growth of wireless demand and services of all types, technical progress enabling smart agile radio networks, and on-going spectrum management reform, there is both a need and opportunity to use and share spectrum more intensively.;This dissertation is written on the premise that spectrum sharing will be a major factor in increasing the capacity supply in the near future. The focus of this dissertation is to examine and quantify the benefits of spectrum sharing through different enforcement scenarios.;Enabling spectrum sharing regimes on a non-opportunistic basis means that sharing agreements must be implemented. To have meaning, those agreements must be enforceable. This dissertation will examine the spectrum sharing between government and commercial users and try to generalize some finding, which can be implemented, in different spectrum sharing cases.;This analysis is valuable because it will help regulators/governments prepare for possible future scenarios in addressing the potential capacity crunch. In addition, it can give the incumbents more insight into expected future sharing as well as into how to optimize mitigation of possible harmful interference that may result. It is also of value to commercial users and operators in that they can use the results of this work to make more informed decisions about the economic benefits of different spectrum sharing market and opportunities. |
