Investigation of TV White Space for Maximum Spectrum Utilization in a Cellular Network Using CRT

---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract— The shortage of spectrum resource availability in wireless communication network due to the rapid increase in the number of subscribers and multimedia applications has given rise to the need for effective spectrum utilization of the licensed spectrum. Cognitive Radio Technology (CRT) was adopted for the system analysis due to its dynamism in accommodating both licensed and unlicensed users within a particular spectrum band. The study framework comprised television station channels in Owerri and its environs and Mobile Telecommunication Networks (MTN) in Owerrithe capital of Imo State, Nigeria as the license and unlicensed users respectively. An outdoor twenty-four hour spectrum occupancy measurement was carried out in the frequency bands of the licensed networks using 240-960 MHz Radio Frequency Spectrum analyzer to determine the spectral usage of the licensed user. A threshold of -95 dB was used to determine the presence of the licensed users. From the results obtained, it was observed that 60.7% of the spectrum band covered was unoccupied, 31.5% was not fully occupied while 7.9% was fully occupied. Energy Detection spectrum approach was implemented by the unlicensed users for easy determination of the spectrum status and resource management. The research therefore determines the status of Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum receivable in Owerri and its environs and proffer measures deployable in harnessing the unused RF resources using CRT.