Energy–Spectral Efficiency Tradeoff in Cognitive Radio Networks

In this paper, we propose a general framework to evaluate the tradeoff between energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) in cognitive radio networks (CRNs). The proposed framework is discussed in three typical CRN paradigms: underlay CRNs (UCRNs), overlay CRNs (OCRNs), and interweave CRNs (ICRNs). The EE–SE relation for three CRNs is expressed in the closed-form formulation, in which the optimal (suboptimal) EE solution as the function of SE is deduced with the corresponding limits. The theoretical analysis and numerical results indicate that the EE–SE relation in CRNs is not contrary, i.e., an optimal EE–SE tradeoff can be achieved. The proposed framework provides a useful guidance in the design of practical green CRNs.