Spectrum Crunch vs. Spectrum Sharing: Exploring the 'Authorised Shared Access' Model

This paper provides an overview of a recently proposed spectrum sharing model -- 'Authorized Shared Access' or 'Licensed Shared Access' (ASA/LSA) -- and compares it to other sharing models in order to outline its distinctive features and fields of application. The main feature of this new concept is to allow sharing among a limited number of licensees with guaranteed, but shared, spectrum usage rights so as to achieve a comparable quality of transmission as in the case of exclusive individual usage rights to all sharing parties. For this reason, the ASA model is able to support both large-scale and small-scale investments in spectrum-hungry technologies. We conclude that LSA/ASA is a promising new model that, absent 'one-size-fits-all' spectrum management solutions, may provide a valuable tool, complementary to other existing and developing tools, to face the spectrum crunch challenge and to meet the Digital Agenda purposes.