Performance Comparison of Handover Mechanisms for LEO Networks in S and Ka-bands


Kodheli X., Solaija M. S. J., Arslan H.

25th IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, WCNC 2024, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21 - 24 April 2024, (Full Text) identifier

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • Doi Number: 10.1109/wcnc57260.2024.10570666
  • City: Dubai
  • Country: United Arab Emirates
  • Keywords: 5G, handover (HO), Ka-band, low-Earth orbit (LEO), non-terrestrial network (NTN), radio link failure (RLF), S-band, satellite, very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT)
  • Istanbul Medipol University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Low-Earth orbit (LEO) non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) have become increasingly popular due to their ability to provide high-bandwidth communication in otherwise unserved regions. However, this comes at the cost of high satellite mobility, necessitating efficient handover (HO) strategies. Till now the focus has been on the S-band, however Ka-band is expected to be deployed for high-bandwidth applications necessitating HO studies for higher frequency bands. To address this, we evaluate the performance of the conventional received power-based HO, as well as alternatives such as elevation angle and distance-based triggers for Ka-band LEO networks, and compare them with S-band frequencies. Moreover, a dynamic threshold approach is also evaluated in terms of the number of HOs, unnecessary handovers (UHOs), radio link failures (RLFs), and distributions of downlink carrier-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (CNIR) and mean time-of-stay of a user in a cell. The obtained results indicate the efficacy of power-based mechanisms for the S-band while showing that the alternative methods provide a much better balance at the Ka-band in terms of the overhead and the overall communication link quality.