Spectral Limitations and the Emerging Trends in Wireless Communication

Abstract

Abstract The electromagnetic spectrum had long been found to support the transmission of information. In this paper, the authors provided a brief treatise on the stupendous growth of wireless communication appeal, as an alternative to wired communication, for long-distance communication. Specifically, the paper delved into how the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum emerged to support the transmission of information. A discussion of the profound progress that had been made in the field of mobile communication with the emergence of different generations leading to the, now, proposed 5G networks, with increasing capabilities intended to make life more meaningful in all areas of human endeavour, was also provided. Further consideration was provided on the finite nature of the radio spectrum, which became a challenge in the face of the consistently emerging wireless technologies and rapid deployment of such emerging technologies to match the exponential increase in transmittable information types and demand for such. The inadequacy of the traditional spectrum management approach, the fixed spectrum allocation, which, partly, accounts for the “scarcity of the radio spectrum” that accompanied the wireless communication growth was expounded. Finally, the various efforts made to confront these challenges and the techniques involved in the new approach to spectrum management; i.e. the dynamic spectrum access or sharing was discussed.