The city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom hosted last 14-16 December the 12th meeting of project team (PT) 43 of the Spectrum Engineering working group (WG SE), responsible for determining technical requisites for the operation of cognitive radio (CR) equipment/systems in spectrum not used by digital terrestrial (DTT) networks, known as white-space devices (WSD), as well as programme making and special events (PMSE), in the 470-790 MHz frequency band and services operating in adjacent bands.
The agenda points were those identified by WG SE as being priority, namely the following:
- Applicability of autonomous operation of WSDs using the collaborative sensing technique;
- Analysis of the possibility of harmonising the EIRP (equivalent istotropically radiated power) limits of WSDs at member-state level, in order to limit uncertainties to industry. To do so a more restrictive set of characteristic WSD values must be adopted;
- Specification of alternative methods for determining WSD potency depending on where situated;
- Studies of impact on networks operating in bands adjacent to 470-790 Mhz;
- Technical considerations regarding the protection of transmitting microphones;
- Analysis of the amount of free spectrum for WSD;
- Protection of cable distribution headends.
Several contributions were received for the aforementioned agenda points. Most analysed the premises determined to date and the proposals to change the methodology used in ECC Report 159. Taking what agreed on at the last WG SE meeting into account, this group converted the working document into two reports: one on geo-location-finding and a second meant to complement ECC Report 159.
The day before the session began (13 December), a workshop was held on the trials being conducted in the European Union. Document SE43(11)Info19 contains the presentations submitted, including the one concerning the COGEU (COGnitive radio systems for efficient sharing of TV white spaces in EUropean context) project with respect to the developed database.
