SDN for Smart Gateway Diversity Optimization in High Throughput Satellite Systems

Future satellite networks could benefit from new paradigms that are currently applied to terrestrial networks, as Software Defined Networking (SDN)and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV); these can improve key system characteristics as flexibility, customization, scalability, etc. This paper presents an analysis on the use of SDN for the optimization of High throughput Satellite (HTS)systems. The latter will use EHF (in particular beyond Ka-band frequencies, such as Q/V and W bands)in the feeder link and in this framework it is mandatory to use spatial diversity to counteract tropospheric fading. One of the most interesting diversity scheme is 'smart gateway'; this technique has to be carefully optimized to achieve high system performance. This paper shows that SDN is a good candidate for the intelligent management of this system. In particular, the paper shows an analysis of the use of the SDN paradigm for smart gateway socalled 'N+0' and 'N+P' diversity schemes. The two schemes allow, in case of heavy fading conditions on one gateway, the redirection of the user traffic towards a redundant gateway (N + P), or the partition of the lost capacity over different active gateways (N + 0), ensuring service continuity.