Introduction

To discuss regulation and standardisation in the context of cognitive radio is a challenge. Currently there are almost no regulations or standards in place for cognitive radio, as cognitive radios are still very much a thing of the future. Hence this chapter is more about classifying the general types of regulations that may be needed and the standards that are emerging than discussing what is already in place. In reality there is a wealth of regulatory issues that relate directly, indirectly or just ‘kind of relate’ to cognitive radio. Chapter 1 explored the role of cognitive radios in delivering new ways of managing the spectrum and looked at applications in the military, public safety and commercial domains. The new spectrum management regimes and the various potential applications may each give rise to the need for new regulations, some of which are specifically related to cognitive radios and some of which are related to creating the kind of environment in which cognitive radio applications can thrive. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to give a broad sense of what those issues might be, as well as to describe the current status of the standardisation efforts.

Regulatory issues and new spectrum management regimes

Much of the discussion about ‘regulations for cognitive radio’ is about ‘regulations for new spectrum management regimes in which cognitive radios can operate’.