Gateway Diversity via Flexible Resource Allocation in a Multibeam SS-TDMA System

This letter addresses the problem of gateway diversity for a future broadband multibeam satellite system. A system architecture which employs a Satellite Switched TDMA payload is considered in an effort to introduce more flexibility and reduce the total number of gateways in the system while minimising the capacity losses and ensuring the necessary feeder link availability. Herein, an architecture and a framework based on assignment of a number of time slots that each gateway uplink is connected to a user beam is proposed allowing a match to the user demands with the offered capacity of the gateways. Three resource allocation schemes are proposed, which take into account the uplink propagation conditions and the users demands. One of the proposed schemes attempts to maximise the throughput and the others attempt to balance the traffic amongst beams, are tested under a scenario where four feeder uplinks are used to serve four user beams. Rain models are applied to generate precipitation fades, and the schemes performance is examined in terms of loss of capacity.