Satellite-Terrestrial Spectrum Sharing in FR3 through QoS-Aware Power Control and Spatial Nulling

TL;DR

This paper explores spectrum sharing in FR3 for 6G, proposing QoS-aware power control and interference nulling to mitigate interference between satellite and terrestrial systems, enhancing fairness and energy efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a joint approach combining power control and interference nulling for improved spectrum sharing in FR3, balancing interference mitigation and QoS.

Findings

Interference nulling maintains high average performance.

Power control improves fairness in terrestrial QoS.

Combined methods enhance fairness and energy efficiency.

Abstract

Frequency Range 3 (FR3), encompassing frequencies between 7.125 and 24.25 GHz, is an emerging frequency band for 6th generation (6G) applications. The upper mid-band, as it is frequently referred to, represents the sweet spot between coverage and capacity, providing better range than mmWaves and higher bandwidth than the sub-6 GHz band. Despite these advantages, the spectrum is already occupied by incumbent systems such as satellites (e.g., Starlink), and sharing it with terrestrial cellular applications results in spectrum conflicts, only exacerbating the existing spectrum scarcity. This article investigates the impact of two state-of-the-art methods, namely Quality of Service (QoS)-Aware Power Control and Interference Nulling, as well as their joint application, on interference mitigation toward non-terrestrial links while maintaining acceptable QoS on terrestrial networks. Our simulation results demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method, pinpointing how interference nulling can maintain high average performance and how power control is more appropriate for risk-averse scenarios to enhance fairness in terrestrial QoS. Finally, we showcase how the two can complement each other to enhance fairness in terrestrial QoS and increase the Next Generation Node Base (gNB)'s energy efficiency, while suppressing interference toward incumbents.