Evaluation of the guaranteed handover algorithm in satellite constellations requiring mutual visibility

Handover is one of the key subjects in maintaining the quality of service offered by non-geostationary constellation systems. As the satellite coverage moves according to the satellite motion, the continuity of a call must be maintained from one satellite to another. In case the handover fails, the call is dropped, resulting in a quality of service degradation. This paper proposes several handover procedures that guarantee a successful handover in non-geostationary satellite constellations requiring mutual visibility. Reservations at next satellite must be done in advance in order to avoid call drops. Several handover performance metrics (such as call blocking probability, call dropping probability and handover rate) are presented for each procedure as a function of traffic load variation. Comparisons of handover performance metrics between these procedures are presented as well. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.