Programme Element: ARTES 1
Reference nr.: 12.1TF.17
Planned Tender Issue: quarter 3, 2013
The generalisation of all IP based core network has allowed the introduction of
standard control techniques of terrestrial networks as well as standardised tools for the management of services delivered across these networks. This trend is applicable to fixed, mobile or broadcasting environments. At transmission layer, specifics remain when considering wireless or wire transmission networks, since the media has significance influence on the overall performance of the transmission schemes that have been designed and optimise carefully. Satellite networks can play a role in complementing the delivery of telecommunication services: either at transmission layer through hybrid schemes (terrestrial and satellite) where soft or hard combining can be used at baseband during demodulation to combat the effects of mobile propagation channels (natural or man made obstacles), at network layer to handover between networks following their actual coverage (satellite being more economically viable in remote areas for instance).In both of the previous transmission and network integration cases, interfaces are implemented at different layers: physical layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, session layer, presentation layer and application layer. If the three later are most often common to both terrestrial and satellite networks, the first four ones are often subject of adaptation (for instance transmission schemes may differ significantly ? OFDM for terrestrial, single carrier multiphase for satellite, as well as data link layers). Beyond the user plane, the control plane and the management plane of the satellite networks are also often custom solutions. Customisation may be perceived by some equipment suppliers or service providers as a break to expand the satellite services market. The case of BGAN where a significant subset of the 3GPP standard has been adopted is a convincing case that there are opportunities in this direction.
Release of new services or new user terminals tend to be issued also at a fast pace by service providers and user equipment providers. This trend is certainly also to be considered within this context by satellite network operators supporting
communication services. The purpose of this activity is (1) to analyse further how the adoption of terrestrial standards could impact the architecture and the design of satellite networks, and (2) to identify potential areas for Research and Development to facilitate further integration schemes being identified as potentially of interest. The focus shall be on fixed broadband satellite services, addressing all planes (signalling, management, control) but the user plane. As a minimum, the following point shall be addressed: (1) the definition of use cases (2) the selection of reference terrestrial standards (3) the analysis of their implementation in a satellite network (on existing or new architecture to be deployed) (4) the identification of new technologies to be developed ? if necessary (5) the identification of service features, performances, limitations or new
capabilities brought by the proposed integration(s).
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