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

• Published in: 2024 IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC) pp. 1 - 6
• Main Authors: Kodheli, Xhelja, Solaija, Muhammad Sohaib J., Arslan, Huseyin
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 21.04.2024
• Subjects: Costs; Downlink; Handover; handover (HO); Ka-band; Low earth orbit satellites; low-Earth orbit (LEO); non-terrestrial network (NTN); Orbits; radio link failure (RLF); Radio links; S-band; satellite; Satellite broadcasting; very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT)
• ISSN: 1558-2612
• DOI: 10.1109/WCNC57260.2024.10570666

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.