Spread spectrum: Principles and possible application to spectrum utilization and allocation

Because of the continuing demand for more telecommunication capacity, to serve the world's need for commerce and public safety, there is a continuing need for more efficient ways of sharing the radio spectrum. The conventional way of allocating the spectrum is by frequency division; however, for many kinds of services this is inefficient. Hence, it seems desirable to reexamine whether alternative procedures might not be necessary if the benefits of telecommunications are to be assured in the face of increased demand. Spreadspectrum techniques, which are based on principles antithetic to those currently used in spectrum allocation for reducing necessary bandwidth, seem to offer benefits for spectrum sharing, for some applications, superior to those of frequency division. This paper provides a tutorial summary of some of the principles upon which spread-spectrum systems have developed. It is hoped the reader might consider what role such techniques may play in future spectrum sharing and allocation opportunities.