Analysis of handover characteristics in shadowed LEO satellite communication networks

In the near future, low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication networks will partially substitute the fixed terrestrial multimedia networks especially in sparsely populated areas. Unlike fixed terrestrial networks, ongoing calls may be dropped if satellite channels are shadowed. Therefore, in most LEO satellite communication networks more than one satellite needs to be simultaneously visible in order to hand over a call to an unshadowed satellite when the communicating satellite is shadowed. In this paper, handover characteristics for fixed terminals (FTs) in LEO satellite communication networks are analysed. The probability distribution of multiple satellite visibility is analytically obtained and the shadowing process of satelites for FTs are modelled. Using the proposed analysis model, shadowing effects on the traffic performance are evaluated in terms of the number of intersatellite and interbeam handovers during a call. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Connection Admission Control for Spotbeam Handover in LEO Satellite Networks

Frequent spotbeam handovers in low earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks require a technique to decrease the handover blocking probabilities. A large variety of schemes have been proposed to achieve this goal in terrestrial mobile cellular networks. Most of them focus on the notion of prioritized channel allocation algorithms. However, these schemes cannot provide the connection-level quality of service (QoS) guarantees. Due to the scarcity of resources in LEO satellite networks, a connection admission control (CAC) technique becomes important to achieve this connection-level QoS for the spotbeam handovers. In this paper, a geographical connection admission control (GCAC) algorithm is introduced, which estimates the future handover blocking performance of a new call attempt based on the user location database, in order to decrease the handover blocking. Also, for its channel allocation scheme, an adaptive dynamic channel allocation (ADCA) scheme is introduced. By simulation, it is shown that the proposed GCAC with ADCA scheme guarantees the handover blocking probability to a predefined target level of QoS. Since GCAC algorithm utilizes the user location information, performance evaluation indicates that the quality of service (QoS) is also guaranteed in the non-uniform traffic pattern.     

A seamless soft handover management scheme in NGEO satellite networks

Satellite networks can provide extensive geographic coverage to diverse user population, but handovers of active communications should be controlled considering the satellites' high speed. Mobile IP and many other handover algorithms have been proposed for terrestrial wireless networks. However, the satellite network exhibits several unique features compared with the terrestrial wireless networks, such as the long delay. This paper proposes a seamless soft handover scheme (S2H) for satellite networks. S2H designs an identity locator split addressing to solve the multihoming problem and applies the network coding scheme during handover. This manner is able to reduce the interference opportunity, save transmissions, and achieve low handover delay, short queue length, and high throughput. Relying on the simulation results, S2H is able to achieve better performance compared with the proposed handover algorithms in the satellite environment when there are multiple traffic flows. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Satellite handover techniques for LEO networks

Low earth orbit satellite constellations could play an important role in future mobile communication networks due to their characteristics, such as global coverage and low propagation delays. However, because of the non‐stationarity of the satellites, a call may be subjected to handovers, which can be cell or satellite handovers. Quite many techniques have been proposed in the literature dealing with the cell handover issue. In this paper, a satellite handover procedure is proposed, that investigates and exploits the partial satellite diversity (namely, the existing common coverage area between contiguous satellites) in order to provide an efficient handover strategy, based always on a tradeoff of blocking and forced termination probabilities for a fair treatment of new and handover calls. Three different criteria were examined for the selection of a satellite. Each one of them could be applied either to new or handover calls, therefore we investigated nine different service schemes. A simulation tool was implemented in order to compare the different service schemes and simulation results are presented at the end of the paper. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Traffic performance analysis of handover in GMPCS systems

This paper presents an analysis of handover process and its effect on the traffic performance in global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS) systems. With the nongeostationary satellite used for the system, the handover scheme needs to be applied to make calls completed without any interruption. An analytical model is developed for the analysis of the handover process. We derive the mean number of handovers and handover delay with various satellite antenna patterns and different settings of handover parameter. A suitable traffic model of the whole system is also derived after due considerations of the handover process. The system performance measures include new call blocking probability, call dropping probability, and mean number of handovers per call. A computer simulation is developed and used. We also analyze the system performance with a number of handover priority schemes applied. Based on the study results, the handover parameters are selected to maximize the traffic performance. It is shown that we can improve the overall traffic performance of GMPCS system by setting handover parameters properly and using the handover priority scheme     

Interbeam handover in LEO satellite systems

This paper evaluates the performance of interbeam handover in LEO satellite systems. The evaluation is based on an analytical model that is specific for interbeam handover. There are three performance parameters concerned: handover probability, forced termination probability and time availability. From the results it can be seen that the interbeam handover probability depends strongly on the roll-off characteristics of the beam pattern. Forced termination and time availability depend on the quality of the received signal and the selected criterion. A comparison between the use of signal level and position as handover criteria is presented. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adaptive distribution‐based handover scheme for cellular communication networks

In this paper, we propose a new Generalized Distribution‐Based Handover (DBHO) to deal with the inefficient utilization of spectral resources due to the non‐uniform cell loads. The DBHO scheme is different from the existing adaptive schemes since it uses a new criterion to initiate handover when moving from/to a congested cell. Two risk factors are used to dynamically change handover boundaries according to the distribution of traffic loads. This controls the handover initiation process such that a user in a congested cell that is moving to a free cell is allowed to initiate a handover to a new cell earlier, as long as the signal received from the target cell is higher than a certain threshold. While delaying the handover initiation process for a user moving in the opposite direction, as long as the signal received from the serving cell is not lower than a certain threshold. Our results show a substantial reduction in the handover and call dropouts rates. Our scheme is complementary to the existing adaptive schemes proposed in the literature. The proposed scheme also gives cellular system designers a new tool to optimize the overall network performance by initiating handovers based on the traffic intensities. Frequent handovers increase the load on switching networks, which consequently degrades the Quality of Service (QoS). Existing handover schemes usually use parameters such as the received signal strength for initiating a handover with some additional measurements to reduce unnecessary handovers and call dropouts. These schemes perform well when cell loads are somewhat evenly distributed, but fail to account for nonuniform traffic, as is often the case in microcells. Hence, it is desirable to design efficient handover schemes to avoid unnecessary handovers, reduce call dropouts and yet dynamically adapt to the variation of traffic among cells. In this paper, we present a new adaptive handover scheme that dynamically changes the handover boundaries to balance cell loads and to effectively reduce the average number of handovers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Footprint handover rerouting protocol for low Earth orbit satellite networks

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks will be an integral part of the next generation telecommunications infrastructures. In a LEO satellite network, satellites and their individual coverage areas move relative to a fixed observer on Earth. To ensure that ongoing calls are not disrupted as a result of satellite movement, calls should be transferred or handed over to new satellites. Since two satellites are involved in a satellite handover, connection route should be modified to include the new satellite into the connection route. The route change can be achieved by augmenting the existing route with the new satellite or by completely rerouting the connection. Route augmentation is simple to implement, however the resulting route is not optimal. Complete rerouting achieves optimal routes at the expense of signaling overhead. In this paper, we introduce a handover rerouting protocol that maintains the optimality of the initial route without performing a routing algorithm after intersatellite handovers. The FHRP makes use of the footprints of the satellites in the initial route as the reference for rerouting. More specifically, after an optimum route has been determined during the call establishment process, the FHRP ensures that the new route due to handover is also optimum. The FHRP demands easy processing, signaling, and storage costs. The performance results show that the FHRP performs similar to a network without any handovers in terms of call blocking probability.     

Efficient handover measurement technique for small‐cell networks using a virtual cell synchronization signal

A small‐cell network (SCN) constructed by splitting a macro‐cell into numerous small cells using an active antenna array system is studied. A synchronization signal appropriate for the SCN, virtually generated by an eNodeB with 3D beamforming, is proposed for efficient handover in SCNs. The virtual cell synchronization signal (VCSS) carries a macro‐cell ID (MCID) and virtual‐cell ID (VCID) in a hierarchical manner, allowing us to distinguish between an intra‐cell handover (virtual cell handover within a cell without changing the serving eNodeB) and inter‐cell handover (virtual cell handovers across cells while changing the serving eNodeB) in SCNs. Using the signal metrics obtained by the VCSS, an efficient handover measurement technique is proposed which can significantly reduce the processing time and overhead by distinguishing between the intra‐cell/inter‐cell handovers. The performance of the proposed technique is evaluated by simulating two different deployment scenarios of LTE‐based SCN with 3D beamforming. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimized handover and resource management: an 802.21‐based scheme to optimize handover and resource management in hybrid satellite‐terrestrial networks

Satellite communications can provide fourth generation (4G) networks with large‐scale coverage. However, their integration to 4G is challenging because satellite networks have not been designed with handover in mind. The setup of satellite links takes time, and so, handovers must be anticipated long before. This paper proposes a generic scheme based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.21 standard to optimize handover and resource management in hybrid satellite‐terrestrial networks. Our solution, namely optimized handover and resource management (OHRM), uses the terrestrial interface to prepare handover, which greatly speeds up the establishment of the satellite link. We propose two mechanisms to minimize the waste of bandwidth due to wrong handover predictions. First, we leverage the support of 802.21 in the terrestrial access network to shorten the path of the signaling messages towards the satellite resource manager. Second, we cancel the restoration of the satellite resources when the terrestrial link rolls back. We use OHRM to interconnect a digital video broadcasting and a wireless 4G terrestrial network. However for the simulation tool, we use a WiMAX as the terrestrial technology to illustrate the schemes. The simulation results show that OHRM minimizes the handover delay and the signaling overhead in the terrestrial and satellite networks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于纠缠度计算的低轨道量子卫星通信切换算法

为了解决低轨道(Low Earth Orbit, LEO) 量子卫星通信的越区切换问题,提出了基于纠缠度计算的量子卫星通信切换算法。在卫星与终端距离和量子噪声的作用下,得出了环境与量子系统消相干后两粒子系统的纠缠度,并且系统始终选择与终端纠缠度最大的卫星进行切换。仿真结果表明,LEO卫星在700km和1400km轨道上在一定纠缠度下的切换成功率可达到95%以上,这很好的实现了量子卫星的平稳切换,对于构建未来全球量子通信系统及其标准的制定有着重要的技术支撑作用。     

Handover prioritizing scheme for reducing call failure probability in cellular wireless network

This paper proposes a scheme suitable for managing handover in wireless cellular network. The main objective of the proposed scheme is to reduce the probability of forced termination of ongoing call due to handover failure. The scheme employs a queuing discipline, and the priority of queued is based on the residual time of the mobile user in the overlap region between two adjacent cells, assuming that the user's location and speed can be determined, then we applied the ascending priority; it means that the users having a shorter residual time join the head of the queue (i.e., high priority) while those having longer residual time at the end of the queue (i.e., low priority). Fixed channel allocation strategy (FCA) is employed and simulation results obtained concern: call blocking probability (CBP), handover failure probability, and average waiting time in the queue. Also simulation results are compared to those obtained by: non‐prioritized scheme (FCA), and FCA queuing with FIFO discipline. Results show that our proposed method decreases significantly handover failure probability compared with other two schemes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

QoS Handover Management in LEO/MEO Satellite Systems

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks are foreseen to complement terrestrial networks in future global mobile networks. Although space segment topology of a LEO network is characterized by periodic variations, connections of mobile stations (MSs) to the satellite backbone network alter stochastically. As a result the quality of service delivered to users may degrade. Different procedures have been proposed either as part of a resource allocation mechanism or as part of an end-to-end routing protocol to manage transitions of MSs from one satellite to another (handover). All of these techniques are based on the prioritization of requested handovers to ease network operation and therefore enhance provision of service. This paper proposes a new handover procedure that exploits all geometric characteristics of a satellite-to-MS connection to provide an equable handover in systems incorporating onboard processing satellites. Its performance is evaluated by simulations for a variety of satellite constellations to prove its general applicability. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

TCRA: a time‐based channel reservation scheme for handover requests in LEO satellite systems

In this paper, we propose a time‐based channel reservation algorithm (TCRA) suitable for handover and call admission control procedures in future mobile satellite systems. These systems are characterized by a high rate of handover attempts which can degrade significantly their performance. Therefore, we propose TCRA, a scheme which guarantees a null handover failure probability by using a channel reservation strategy in the cells to be crossed by the user. The performance of TCRA has been compared to the guaranteed handover (GH) scheme. The TCRA reservation method has the advantage of a better channel utilization by locking the resources only for their expected time of use. A mathematical model has been developed for both schemes, and its results have been validated through simulations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

移动卫星网络中基于最小费用的切换算法

对于移动卫星网络,合理的星地链路切换方案需要在保证最小切换时延的同时,能够最优地使用网络资源。该文通过引入业务的中断概率和费用模型,给出了切换过程中重路由的最优触发条件,提出一种基于最小费用的切换(SMCH)算法。该算法可在保证切换业务通信的连续性和时延等指标不被破坏的基础上,通过适当的触发重路由来降低切换费用。仿真表明该算法在保证切换业务的QoS,降低切换费用以及适应性、灵活性等方面都优于同类切换算法。     

低轨卫星移动通信系统接入方案

在低轨卫星移动通信系统中,由于卫星和移动用户间的相对运动使得呼叫切换频繁发生.为了降低星间切换请求到达率,减小系统切换开销,本文在距离优先接入方案基础上进一步提出了两种接入策略:覆盖时间优先方案和仰角加权的覆盖时间优先方案.构造了非均匀分布全球话务密度模型.并参照某实际系统参数,对不同接入方案准则下的全球话务服务进行了系统仿真,得到了相应的系统性能参数.     

低轨卫星网小区移动性对切换的影响

低轨卫星网络点波束覆盖布局与用户相对运动方向决定了用户在小区间的切换关系,并直接影响用户切换性能。该文针对两种典型的小区运动模式建立了移动模型,分析了驻留时间、切换概率和平均切换次数等移动性指标,并结合具体的信道分配策略分析比较了小区移动性对用户切换性能的影响。结果表明在小区低重叠度的条件下小区运动模式Ⅱ的用户切换性能优于模式Ⅰ,更适用于低轨卫星网络,为低轨卫星点波束的布局提供了参考。     

A quality-of-service signaling architecture for seamless handover support in next generation,IP-based mobile networks

The coupling of signaling protocols for mobility management and resource reservation plays an important role to achieve Quality-of-Service (QoS) in wireless environments. When performing a handover, request and allocation of resources have to be done in the shortest possible time to avoid disruptions for the user service. Therefore, it is preferable to ensure resource availability in advance, which we call anticipated handover. This approach for providing seamless handovers in turn poses challenges for the overall design of the QoS architecture and its associated QoS signaling protocol. This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive QoS architecture and a suitable QoS signaling protocol. It discusses intrinsic problems of reservations in IP based networks such as session ownership as well as a number of protocol design issues regarding the integration of QoS signaling with other protocols, such as Mobile IP. In particular, we define an end-to-end QoS architecture and a mobility-aware reservation signaling protocol Mobility Aware Reservation Signaling Protocol (MARSP) that supports anticipated handover, thus enabling seamless services over heterogeneous wireless access networks. The presented architecture and protocol were implemented and evaluated by measurements. They show that anticipated handovers not only outperform hard handovers regarding handover latency, but that they also provide functional and robustness advantages. Authors Hillebrand and Prehofer changed their affiliation in the meantime, the work described in this paper was carried out during their employment at DoCoMo Communications Laboratories Europe.     

Scalable Schemes for Call Admission and Handover in Cellular Networks with Multiple Services

The introduction of new service categories withdifferent bandwidth requirements, e.g., data and multimedia, to cellularmobile radio networks makes many of the traditional mechanisms for controlingtraffic unusable orless efficient. The call admission and the handover handling are of the mostsensitive issues in this extension to new services. The performance of allservices includingthe traditional voice and the new services can be dramatically affected ifappropriate schemes are not used. In this paper, we propose call admission andhandover handling schemes for a cellular mobile network that offers twoservice types: voice and data. The data connections are assumed to transmitatdifferent transmission rates that are integer multiples to that of one radiochannel. In the case of congestion, the base station asks the active dataconnections to reduce their transmission rate in order to provide freechannels for the newly arrived request of both service types. This isbasically intended for incoming handover requests. The request will berejected if the transmission rate of the active connections reaches a givenminimum rate. Similar mechanism can also be used for new call arrivals, butsome priority can be given to handovers by setting a higher transmission ratethreshold for the new call rejection. As an extension to the proposedscalability, aqueuing of new calls is also proposed and analyzed. Analytical models werebuilt for the two proposed schemes together with the traditional channelreservation scheme. The effect of different traffic and configurationparameters on the performance measures like the grade of service, blockingprobabilities, and utilization, are studied using the proposed technique.Results show that the proposed schemes provide very good performance and morefairness among the different service types.