Where is Spectrum Sharing Headed?

Jeffrey Reed

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Abstract

Spectrum sharing is the most significant paradigm change for managing spectrum in decades.   In the US, the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST) recently recommended that nearly 1GHz of federal spectrum be made available for spectrum sharing with commercial systems.  Making this spectrum available could provide a significant boost to innovation and economic growth.  This presentation provides a technical description of the spectrum management approach proposed by PCAST and the new applications it may enable.   Nevertheless, several outstanding research challenges remain on how to best share spectrum.  These challenges are discussed along with potential avenues for exploration.

Biography

Dr. Jeffrey H. Reed is the Willis G. Worcester Professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He currently serves as Director of Wireless @ Virginia Tech, one of the largest and most comprehensive university wireless research groups in the US.  He is the Founding Faculty member of the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology and served as its interim Director when founded in 2010.  He arrived at Virginia Tech in 1992 after working as a part-time faculty member at UC Davis and independent consultant.

Dr. Reed’s area of expertise is in cognitive radios, software radios, and smart antennas.  He has authored, co-authored, or co-edited ten books and proceedings, contributed to six books, and authored or co-authored over two hundred journal and conference papers.  He is currently writing two books, one that is a text book on cellular radio systems and the other a text book on SDR and cognitive radio.   These books are expected to be published in 2012. 

He is co-founder of Cognitive Radio Technologies (CRT), a company that is commercializing of the cognitive radio technologies produced at Virginia Tech for commercial and military applications, and for Power Fingerprinting, a company specializing in security for embedded systems, including Android platforms.  He co-founded these companies with his former PhD students.  He has also served as a consultant for approximately 30 organizations.   He has served on the technical advisory boards for approximately six companies.  In 2005, Dr. Reed became Fellow to the IEEE for contributions to software radio and communications signal processing and for leadership in engineering education.  

Dr. Reed has had numerous commercial sponsors including Samsung, Motorola, LG, GM, and Intel; government sponsors including DOJ, Customs Dept., DARPA, ONR, ARO, JIEDDO, CIA, and NSA; and government contractors including Booz, Allen Hamilton, SAIC, General Dynamics, Aerospace, IDA, and Raytheon. 

Within the past few years Dr. Reed’s recent service activities include serving on White House advisory committee on spectrum issues, working with DoD on countering wireless initiated IEDs, and providing national leaders informal advice on public safety communications legislation.