Link Layer Systematic Random Network Coding for DVB-S2X/RCS

In this letter, we investigate the benefits of systematic network coding (SNC) in Digital Video Broadcasting by Satellite-Second Generation (DVB-S2X) based satellite systems. We propose an architecture and encapsulation framework to use SNC at the link layer (LL) of DVB-S2X. Our proposal includes coding both at the source node and at one intermediate node to increase the overall throughput (achievable rates) and reliability. We derive the theoretical upper bound on the achievable rates of the proposed LL-SNC and validate it with simulations. Our simulation results show that LL-SNC achieves significantly higher transmission rates and reliability than state-of-the-art link layer forward erasure correction (LL-FEC) schemes. Moreover, our results confirm the benefits of LL-SNC for different frame lengths available in the standard. Specifically, LL-SNC can provide up to 158% higher maximum achievable rates than LL-FEC while complexity is kept low due to the use of systematic encoding.