Is Cooperative Spectrum Leasing by Third-Party Relays Advantageous in Next-Generation Cellular Networks?

Inhalt:
This paper discusses whether the gains of Cooperative Spectrum Leasing (CSL) using third-party standard LTEA relays (with the current version of the standard) are worth the implementation effort. We evaluate the increment in spectral efficiency due to the introduction of relays that receive leased spectral resources as a reward. Our results show that CSL may obtain cumulative gains from the aggregation of many candidate relays, but the improvement is moderate. Therefore, CSL may remain a supporting solution for niche applications such as low throughput static M2M applications until new versions of the standard create the conditions for a broader use.