Cognitive radio is a recent concept that is expected When the wireless systems that are potential candidates for to lead wireless communications to a new era. A proper candidate cognitive radio are considered, ultra wideband (UWB) seems for the physical layer implementation of cognitive radio networks to be one of the tempting choices because it has an inherent is ultra wideband (UWB), because UWB is highly competent in .. . satisfying many basic requirements of cognitive radio. Beside p this, UWB can also provide various kinds of supportive uses ments. On top of this, especially impulse radio (IR) based to cognitive radio systems that are realized by means of other UWB offers some extraordinary uses that can add a number of wireless technologies. In this paper, a number of possible roles extra intellective features to cognitive systems. These special that UWB can take in cognitive networks are discussed in detail. uses are brought by the high multipath resolution property, Index Terms-Cognitive radio, cognitive node, impulse radio, which enables UWB to act as an accurate radar, ranging, spectrum sensing, UWB-OFDM. and positioning system. Examples of specific UWB features include sensing the physical environment to enable situation awareness, and providing geographical location information.Cognitive radio is a novel concept for future wireless Owing to all these distinctive properties, UWB is considered as communications, and it has been gaining significant interest one of the enabling technologies for cognitive radio networks among the academia, industry, and regulatory bodies [1]. in this paper. Cognitive radio provides a tempting solution to increasing The organization of the paper is as follows. In Section spectral crowding by introducing the opportunistic usage of II, the primary UWB features are addressed from the point frequency bands that are not heavily occupied by their licensed of satisfying the cognitive radio requirements. Section III users. It proposes to furnish radio systems with awareness, discusses implementation of cognitive radio via UWB. In sensing, adaptation and learning about hardware capabilities, Section IV, the supportive roles that UWB may have in a power, available spectrum, networks, nodes, infrastructures, cognitive network are investigated. Section V concludes the radio channel, interference, and noise temperature, as well paper. as local policies. The primary advantage targeted with these features is to enable the cognitive systems to utilize the II. SUITABILITY OF ULTRA WIDEBAND FOR COGNITIVE available resources such as hardware, power, spectrum, and RADIO network, in the most efficient way, and to provide an optimum Considering the main features of ultra wideband, it is seen communication quality. that there is a strong match between what the cognitive radio An interconnected set of cognitive radio devices that share requires and what UWB offers. In the following, the UWB information is defined as a pure cognitive network [2]. Cog-features will be investigated from the point of ...