Title: Spectrum allocation in 6G communication networks using enhanced dual deep Q network

Authors: Monika Gupta; Ishani Mishra; Sonika Katta; G. Pavithra; Swapnil S. Ninawe; Preeti Khanwalkar

Addresses: Department of ECE, New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore, 560103, India ' Department of ECE, New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore, 560103, India ' Department of Computer Applications, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, 302021, India ' Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru, 560078, India ' Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru, 560078, India ' Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru, 560078, India

Abstract: In 6G communication networks, spectrum allocation process is crucial for effectively managing and utilising the limited spectrum resources available. However, traditional spectrum allocation approaches encounter significant challenges, particularly in dynamic environments; often result in suboptimal spectrum utilisation and delays in the allocation process. To overcome this issue, we propose an Enhanced Dual Deep Q-Net (EDDQN) scheme for spectrum allocation. EDDQN is an advanced version of DQN that makes use of two neural networks: an online network for action selection and a target network for Q-value estimation. By using two separate neural networks, EDDQN overcomes overestimation bias in Q-value estimation, a significant drawback of the original DQN. The zebra optimisation algorithm is used to optimise the hyper-parameters of EDDQN in order to improve its performance. Through extensive simulations, we prove the superiority of proposed spectrum allocation compared with traditional spectrum allocation approaches.

Keywords: 6G communication network; spectrum allocation; enhanced dual deep Q-Net; online network; target network; zebra optimisation algorithm.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAACS.2026.154848

International Journal of Autonomous and Adaptive Communications Systems, 2026 Vol.19 No.3, pp.358 - 374

Received: 06 Aug 2025
Accepted: 14 Nov 2025
Published online: 16 Jul 2026 *

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