Channel Hopping Protocols for Dynamic Spectrum Management in 5G Technology

The fifth generation mobile communication networks are conceived to provide high date rates, spectral efficiency, low latency, and energy consumption, as well as better quality of service. Dynamic spectrum management represents interesting techniques in 5G, which improve the spectrum efficiency based on allowing unlicensed secondary users to access the licensed spectrum without interfering with licensed primary users. The secondary users must rendezvous with other intended secondary users on the same available channel at the same time before data transmission. The rendezvous process is the first key process for secondary users to communicate with each other. The channel hopping technique is a superior technique, providing rendezvous for dynamic spectrum management. This article analyzes the latest channel hopping protocols. Moreover, we compare the scenario settings and the performance metrics of these channel hopping protocols. Finally, we discuss some open research issues on channel hopping protocols for dynamic spectrum management.