This paper deals with the support of IPv6 for mobile user groups using the scenario of passengers in an aircraft connected via a satellite link to ground Internet. Several solutions are discussed to support user laptops having IPv6. The peculiarity of the scenario lies in the fact that satellite modems usually offer single IPv4 addresses only. We address IPv6 over IPv4 tunnelling and Network Address and Port Translation (NAPT) with dual stack routers as possible solutions. The NAPT solution is optimized to save overhead over the satellite link, and required signalling to allow ground-to-air traffic is addressed. Finally, a performance estimation is given.

The second‐generation specification for Digital Video Broadcast over Satellite, DVB‐S2, defines an improved and adaptive physical layer. A new framing structure at the link layer, known as the generic stream (GS), is introduced offering an alternative to the well‐known MPEG transport stream (TS). This paper presents the requirements for and the design of an encapsulation protocol to transport IPv4 and IPv6 datagrams and other network protocol packets directly over DVB‐S2 using this GS profile. The resulting generic stream encapsulation (GSE) is a novel method that provides flexible encapsulation with support for fragmentation. A flexible extension header format allows GSE to carry additional header information, suitable for enhanced features, such as link layer encryption and IP header compression. The paper assesses GSE performance by simulation using realistic traffic profiles and attenuation fading. This demonstrates considerable improvement in efficiency compared with the MPE/MPEG‐2 TS, especially when used with adaptive coding and modulation (ACM). Although designed for DVB‐S2 systems, the new encapsulation is suitable for other second‐generation physical layer standards. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deployment of GSM and UMTS networks over satellite are attractive for several markets. Satellites can provide transport interconnection in areas with difficult or expensive long-distance infrastructure due to the wide coverage zones in order to replace terrestrial land lines. Furthermore, mobile networks on trains, aeroplanes, ships etc., demand for satellite interconnection. Modern GSM and UMTS base stations for remote site typically support IP transport mechanisms. This does not only apply to pico-cells, there are also trends to use IP as transport for large base stations as the convergence of personal mobile telephony and IP multimedia communication is anticipated in the new 3GPP (3rd generation partnership programme) releases. To compete with other transport media (terrestrial wireless, land-lines) efficiency of the satellite link is crucial. This paper discusses several possibilities to for efficient transport of GSM and UMTS over satellite. It starts form considerations of the voice traffic encapsulated in IP/UDP/RTP header and possibilities to reduce the overhead arising from the transport headers. Several protocol compression techniques such as header compression and packet multiplexing are discussed. The applicability depends also on the available ground infrastructure of the satellite provider. Finally, networking optimization of the GSM or UMTS architectures in the different 3GPP releases are discussed. Advanced architectures having core network functionalities such as the radio control (BSC, RNC) or even transport switches and media gateways at the remote site, bear inherent functional advantages.

The paper discusses cross-layer issues of DVB-S2 networks with adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) on the physical layer forward link. Also future return channel via satellite (RCS) systems employing adaptive schemes on the return link are analysed. Cross-layer issues focus on medium access control (MAC) and encapsulation layer effects. Recent work of the S2 encapsulation over generic streams (GS) is described, and the effects on quality of service (QoS) scheduling for the forward link are analysed by means of simulation. A performance comparison between DVB-S and S2, both for transport streams (TS) and GS shows a significant gain by new encapsulation and fragmentation protocols that allow fragmentation across BBFrames. Here, realistic traffic scenarios with a mix of several services as well as rain fading are taken into account. For the return link, an adaptive scheme is discussed, going beyond the current RCS standard. Several approaches for access burst structures are presented and their impact on link efficiency through padding and encapsulation overhead is simulated. Finally, burst segmentation impact on jitter is investigated. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper reports on the advancement in the research and development of aeronautical satellite communications within the EU framework. Starting from key aspects such as spectrum regulatory and marketing issues which affect the development of aeronautical communication systems, discussion on the motivation behind the two EU projects, ABATE and WirelessCabin and their interconnection then follows. ABATE concentrated on the development of an aeronautical communications system for flight routes in the European and Northern Atlantic regions. The enabling technology considered in ABATE is discussed. Major achievements and results obtained in the project are reported in this paper. These include the development of a powerful software tool based on a logical design methodology for aeronautical satellite communication systems as well as the characterization of the aeronautical channel through a series of channel measurement campaign and a demonstration of in‐flight multimedia satellite communication. The evolvement from ABATE to WirelessCabin is then highlighted. The main objective and current development of WirelessCabin since the start of the project are presented. In particular, issues on electromagnetic compatibility between different electronic equipments on board the aircraft cabin are discussed. Networking aspects for mobility, QoS and VPN support are studied. Specifically, different scenarios for the location management and address assignment schemes for mobility and VPN support are discussed in detail. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper faces the problem of having a nomadic network onboard an airplane, with different wireless access technologies. The passengers, using their own personal devices (cellular phones, laptop, etc…) may wish to communicate with the external world. The architectural solution proposed in this work, applies to any nomadic network with these characteristics. The paper focuses first on the protocol solution, which guarantees flexibility, upgradeability of the system and convergence towards an all-over-IP scenario. Secondly user authentication and accounting is discussed. Then issues concerning system security and reliability (crew communications, QoS and satellite handover) are faced. Finally a power control technique is presented for avoiding interference of GSM mobile phones.

This paper investigates mobility management and Virtual Private Network (VPN) issues in a heterogeneous wireless network in an aircraft cabin via a satellite link. In the target system, it is foreseen that passengers would be able to use their own personal devices on the aircraft as opposed to using equipments provided by the airline’s company. Therefore, with regard to mobility management, the possible address assignment to the devices and the aircraft is discussed. This paper also described how Mobile IP techniques combined with VPN can be implemented in an aircraft cabin to ensure that passengers can connect to a secure network if required.

In this paper, the requirements for personal environments mobility are addressed from terminal and network perspectives. Practical mobility and Quality of Service (QoS) aware solutions are proposed for a heterogeneous network, comprising of satellite and terrestrial access networks connected to an IP core network. The aim, in adopting a heterogeneous environment, is to provide global, seamless service coverage to a specific area, allowing access to services independently of location. An important assumption is that nomadic user terminals attached to a particular segment should be able to exchange information with any other terminal connected to the network. This is to ensure transparency of device technology. Different communication scenarios are investigated in support of IPv4 and IPv6 operating on user platforms and over access segments. The heterogeneous network necessitates the need to perform handover between access segments to enable coverage extension and seamless connectivity. Handover procedures are analyzed, and an approach is presented that enables various operation and segment specific parameters to be taken into account when deciding upon the need to perform handover and in selecting the optimum access segment. In order to ensure transparency of network technology, the need for end-to-end QoS support is discussed, bearing in mind the deployment of both IntServ and DiffServ enabled routers in the core network. Following this, a new admission control scheme, named Gauge&Gate Reservation with Independent Probing (GRIP), is proposed. The paper concludes with a description of a laboratory testbed, which has been developed in order to verify the presented procedures, together with performance measurements of the handover and the GRIP algorithms.

In this paper a MEO channel measure- ment campain with focus on correlationbetweenforward and backward channels is presented. The results for dif- ferent scenarios are analysed. The effect of the channel correlation on power control is studied using the mea- sured propagation data.

Powerful analysis and performance evaluation tools are required for the design of multi- media satellite communication systems. Especially, when real-time aspects have to be investigated together with the runtime behavior of protocols and the performance of network elements, simulation tools are not anymore sufficient and hardware testing is required. This paper deals with the design of such a test system being under development for the EuroSkyWay satellite system. 1 The test system implements a ground traf- fic simulator (GTS) for terminals connected to a satellite with onboard processing system. The GTS is part of an overall validator system for the satellite network. Different traffic characteristics can be generated and transmitted in the appropriate channel format. For this, the medium access control of the system and the physical layer are implemented in hardware whereas higher layer functions such as the protocols of layer 2 and 3 are implemented in software. This paper describes the implementation aspects of the traffic simulator and provides exemplary results of implementation.