As we advance towards 6G communication systems, the number of network devices continues to increase resulting in spectrum scarcity. With the help of Spectrum Sensing (SS), Cognitive Radio (CR) exploits the frequency spectrum dynamically by detecting and transmitting in underutilized bands. The performance of 6G networks can be enhanced by utilizing Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) to perform SS. This paper provides a detailed survey of several Deep Learning (DL) algorithms used for SS by classifying them as Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, combined CNN-LSTM architectures and Autoencoders (AEs). The works are discussed in terms of the input provided to the DL algorithm, data acquisition technique used, data pre-processing technique used, architecture of each algorithm, evaluation metrics used, results obtained, and comparison with standard SS detectors. This survey further provides an overview of traditional ML algorithms and simple Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) while highlighting the drawbacks of conventional SS approaches for completeness. A description of some publicly available Radio Frequency (RF) datasets is included and the need for comprehensive RF datasets and Transfer Learning (TL) is discussed. Furthermore, the research challenges related to the use of DL for SS are highlighted along with potential solutions.

With the advent of Sixth Generation (6G) telecommunication systems already envisioned, increased effort is made to further develop current communication technologies, so they can be incorporated together with the novel ones, to deliver uninterrupted and satisfactory service for any application in every location on the ground, underwater, in the air, or in space. One such technology is Cognitive Radio (CR) which has received much attention due to its potential for increase of utilization, especially in the bands below 6 GHz. The main enabler for CR is spectrum sensing because it provides the opportunity for dynamic assessment of the radio environment to identify unused channels. This functionality has been the object of many research works for that very reason. In spite of this, the provision of accurate and fast spectrum characterization in time, frequency and space has proven to be a non-trivial task. This paper presents a detailed review of probabilistic spectrum sensing methods classified by the feature they extract from the received signal samples, to provide accurate detection of the primary user (PU) signal. The main design characteristics (such as probability of detection, robustness to noise and fading, signal/noise model assumptions, and computational complexity), strengths and weaknesses for each type are also summarized. Based on current concepts for 6G networks and applications, a framework for human-centric cognition-based wireless access is presented, which specifies the role of spectrum sensing-based CR in future networks.

Resource allocation (RA) has always had a prominent place in wireless communications research due to its significance for network throughput maximization, and its inherent complexity. Concurrently, graph-based solutions for RA have also grown in importance, providing opportunities for higher throughput and efficiency due to their representational capabilities, as well as challenges for realizing scalable algorithms. This article presents a comprehensive review and analysis of graph-based RA methods in three major wireless network types: cellular homogeneous and heterogeneous, device-to-device, and cognitive radio networks. The main design characteristics, as well as directions for future research, are provided for each of these categories. On the basis of this review, the concept of Graph-based Resource allocation for Integrated Space and Terrestrial communications (GRIST) is proposed. It describes the inter-connectivity and coexistence of various terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks via a hypergraph and its attributes. In addition, the implementation challenges of GRIST are explained in detail. Finally, to complement GRIST, a scheme for determining the appropriate balance between different design considerations is introduced. It is described via a simplified complete graph-based design process for resource management algorithms.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-empowered communications have gained significant attention in recent years due to the promise of agile coverage provision for a large number of various mobile nodes on the ground and in three-dimensional (3D) space. Consequently, there is a need for efficient spectrum utilization in these dense aerial networks, which is characterized through radio environment maps (REMs), the construction of which is an important research area. Nevertheless, due to the difficult collection of radio frequency (RF) data, there are limited works that are based on real-world measurement campaigns. This paper presents a novel experimental setup that includes a constellation of three UAVs, the communication signals of which are measured by a software-defined radio (SDR) mounted on a separate UAV. It follows a trajectory that defines the REM’s two-dimensional (2D) area on a plane, executed at four altitudes, to extend the REM to 3D. The measurements are then processed and their features (received mean power level, average difference of the mean power, percentage of meaningful correlations) are analyzed in the temporal, spatial, and frequency domains to determine the utilization of a 20 MHz band in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, as well as their variation with altitude. This analysis provides a base for research in reducing the amount of measurements (by identifying the regions of low and of high interest) and spectrum occupancy prediction for UAV-based communication coexistence.

Multiple spectrum measurement campaigns around the world have shown that even though the frequencies below 6 GHz are very crowded, enough portions of the spectrum remain unutilized most of the time. Even the most heavily employed bands, such as the ones used for television broadcasting and cellular communications, have shown an average occupancy between 25 and 50% [1]. Together with the ever-increasing growth of connected devices in the scope of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, these have been the main motivational factors for the intensive research in the field of cognitive radio (CR), which empowered by the abilities of the software-defined radio (SDR) devices, can enable the delivery of IoT services, as they operate together with the incumbent users of the existing wireless networks. Consequently, the CR can be utilized for a variety of applications within IoT and the modern systems for delivery of intelligent services, or the traditional standards for wireless data transmission including mobile networks [2]. Therefore, it can be implemented in diverse appliances and professional equipment for integrated navigation, sensing, and communications.

Streaming data are present all around us. From traditional radio systems streaming audio to today’s connected end-user devices constantly sending information or accessing services, data are flowing constantly between nodes across various networks. The demand for appropriate outlier detection (OD) methods in the fields of fault detection, special events detection, and malicious activities detection and prevention is not only persistent over time but increasing, especially with the recent developments in Telecommunication systems such as Fifth Generation (5G) networks facilitating the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT). The process of selecting a computationally efficient OD method, adapted for a specific field and accounting for the existence of empirical data, or lack thereof, is non-trivial. This paper presents a thorough survey of OD methods, categorized by the applications they are implemented in, the basic assumptions that they use according to the characteristics of the streaming data, and a summary of the emerging challenges, such as the evolving structure and nature of the data and their dimensionality and temporality. A categorization of commonly used datasets in the context of streaming data is produced to aid data source identification for researchers in this field. Based on this, guidelines for OD method selection are defined, which consider flexibility and sample size requirements and facilitate the design of such algorithms in Telecommunications and other industries.