A Survey of Channel Bonding for Wireless Networks and Guidelines of Channel Bonding for Futuristic Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

Channel bonding (CB) is a proven technique to increase bandwidth and reduce delays in wireless networks. It has been applied in traditional wireless networks such as cellular networks and wireless local area networks along with the emerging cognitive radio networks. This paper first focuses on providing a survey of CB schemes for traditional wireless networks such as cellular networks, wireless local area networks and wireless sensor networks, and then provides a detailed discussion on the CB schemes proposed for cognitive radio networks. Finally, we highlight a number of issues and challenges regarding CB in cognitive radio sensor networks and also provide some guidelines on using CB schemes in these futuristic networks.