In this paper, using tools from asymptotic random matrix theory, a new cooperative scheme for frequency band sensing is introduced for both AWGN and fading channels. Unlike previous works in the field, the new scheme does not require the knowledge of
the noise statistics or its variance and is related to the behavior of the largest and smallest eigenvalue of random matrices. Remarkably, simulations show that the asymptotic claims hold even for a small number of observations (which makes it convenient for time-varying topologies), outperforming classical energy detection techniques.
