Radio spectrum sharing leveraging link adaptation in primary network

Abstract

A wireless communication system and method for allowing two or more wireless networks to operate simultaneously in the same geographical area and through the same radio frequency (RF) spectrum band includes a plurality of wireless networks each network having at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitting node, capable of estimating the effect of its transmission on another, separate, wireless network of the plurality of wireless networks, each transmitting node having a modulation classifier that estimates from a received wireless signal, a modulation scheme used in the transmission of a wireless link that is received in the highest power in a secondary network of the plurality of wireless networks; and a throughput estimator which predicts, without the need to exchange information between a primary and secondary networks of the plurality of wireless networks, the adaptive modulation and coding configuration for the primary link that is received with highest power at the secondary network transmitting node. The transmitting node in the secondary network maintains the change in the primary network relative average throughput within a prescribed target maximum value, while at the same time finding transmit settings for its transmission that will result in as large throughput as allowed by a primary network interference limit.