A Novel Definition of Spectrum Holes for Improved Spectrum Utilization Efficiency

Improving spectrum utilization efficiency is a fundamental goal of dynamic spectrum access technology. The definition of spectrum holes determines how to detect and exploit them. Current definitions of spectrum holes are ineffective in exploiting spatial-temporal spectrum holes. In this paper, a novel definition of spectrum holes is proposed, in which throughput loss indicates the impact of secondary users on primary users. The definition specifies spectrum holes, unifies the impact of secondary users on primary users and is effective exploiting spatial-temporal spectrum holes. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show that the new definition proposed in this paper significantly improves the spectrum utilization efficiency.