Towards unlicensed cellular networks in TV white spaces

In this paper we study network architecture for unlicensed cellular networking for outdoor coverage in TV white spaces. The main technology proposed for TV white spaces is 802.11af, a Wi-Fi variant adapted for TV frequencies. However, 802.11af is originally designed for improved indoor propagation. We show that long links, typical for outdoor use, exacerbate known Wi-Fi issues, such as hidden and exposed terminal, and significantly reduce its efficiency.

Instead, we propose CellFi, an alternative architecture based on LTE. LTE is designed for long-range coverage and throughput efficiency, but it is also designed to operate in tightly controlled and centrally managed networks. CellFi overcomes these problems by designing an LTE-compatible spectrum database component, mandatory for TV white space networking, and introducing an interference management component for distributed coordination. CellFi interference management is compatible with existing LTE mechanisms, requires no explicit communication between base stations, and is more efficient than CSMA for long links.

We evaluate our design through extensive real world evaluation on off-the-shelf LTE equipment and simulations. We show that, compared to 802.11af, it increases coverage by 40% and reduces median flow completion times by 2.3x.