A QoS Supported Carrier Planning and Timeslot Allocation Algorithm for the Return Link of GEO Satellite

Abstract

To tackle the significant challenge of achieving the frequency domain and time domain resource allocation on the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite return link, we develop a two-tier “Carrier Planning-Timeslot Allocation” cooperative resource-management framework to optimize system efficiency and different quality of service (QoS) for diverse user demands simultaneously. The Dynamic Planning Carrier Configuration (DPCC) algorithm continuously reconfigures the frequency carrier set through a multi-layer aggregation and proportional allocation procedure, in which the share granted to each carrier tier is steered by the weighted traffic demand of every priority class and the prevailing channel fading severity. The Timeslot Allocation under Fixed Carriers Set (TAFCS) algorithm initially utilizes a modulation and coding (MODCOD) update mechanism to exploit favorable channel conditions. Then it conducts scheduling in three successive phases “priority-driven allocation, idle-slot aggregation and reuse, and residual-request slicing”. Extensive Satellite Network Simulator 3 simulations show that TAFCS alone outperforms the first-fit algorithm and the Reserve Channel with Priority (RCP)-fit algorithm, boosting timeslot utilization and return channel satellite terminal (RCST) response rates by roughly 8%–11% while meeting QoS targets across high-/medium-/low-priority traffic. When DPCC is introduced, the simulation under seven scenarios with diverse traffic and channel dynamics confirms that the DPCC-TAFCS framework markedly surpasses single-layer TAFCS on both system efficiency and QoS support, while demonstrating robust effectiveness under harsh link conditions.