Computing call blocking probabilities in ŁEO\ satellite networks: The single orbit case
Teletraffic Engineering in the Internet EraProceedings of the International Teletraffic Congress - ITC-I7, volume 4 of Teletraffic Science and Engineering, Elsevier, (2001)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1388-3437(01)80147-5
Abstract
We study the problem of carrying voice calls over a ŁEO\ satellite network, and we present an analytical model for computing call blocking probabilities for a single orbit of a satellite constellation. We have devised a method to solve the corresponding Markov process efficiently for up to 5-satellite orbits. For orbits consisting of a larger number of satellites, we have developed an approximate decomposition algorithm to compute the call blocking probabilities by decomposing the system into smaller sub-systems, and iteratively solving each sub-system in isolation using the exact Markov process. Our approach can capture blocking due to hand-offs for both satellite-fixed and earth-fixed constellations. Numerical results demonstrate that our method is accurate for a wide range of traffic patterns and for orbits with a number of satellites that is representative of commercial satellite systems.