Handover schemes for QoS guarantees in LEO-satellite ATM networks

Abstract

We present the effects of mobility on QoS provisioning in multi-hop low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite ATM networks and the necessity of inter-satellite handover. Based on the LEO-satellite ATM network characteristics, different feasible inter-satellite handover schemes are proposed regarding the QoS handover requirements. A combination of the schemes is suggested as an efficient handover management scheme for LEO-satellite ATM networks. In addition, handover protocols are described in terms of signaling flows and control sequences. Finally, several performance metrics are evaluated by simulation of the studied traffic and system configuration.