Spectrum Sharing for Connected Vehicles and Wi-Fi Using Backward-Compatible Beaconing

Abstract

Transportation stakeholders argue that too little spectrum is allocated for connected vehicles. Recent research has shown that vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices can share spectrum with Wi-Fi if harmful interference is avoided through backward-compatible beaconing. This article shows that the approach uses spectrum more efficiently than traditional exclusive allocations, making it a useful way to meet spectrum needs of connected vehicles. Moreover, this article describes how this beaconing approach exemplifies an atypical form of spectrum sharing that deserves consideration in other contexts. A cooperative mechanism like beaconing can protect legacy systems, achieve greater spectrum efficiency, and give devices less absolute priority that’s tuned to objectives, all without centralized control. The disadvantage is rigidity.