Realizing Future Broadband Satellite Network Services

Future satellite communication systems proposed use geosynchronous (GEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO) constellations. Most of the next generation satellite systems will use fast packet switching with onboard processing to provide full two-way services to and from earth stations. One of the major service drivers is a high data rate internet access carried over integrated satellite-fiber networks. Provisioning of quality of service (QoS) within the advanced satellite systems is the critical requirement. In this paper, we present broadband LEO satellite network QoS model and simulated performance results. We discuss the TCP flow aggregates performance for their good behavior in the presence of competing UDP flow aggregates in the same assured forwarding. We identify several factors that affect the performance in the mixed environments and quantify their effects using a full factorial design of experiment methodology.