Challenges for a fully IP-based broadband satellite system

A number of broadband satellite systems have been proposed in recent years, offering alternative technical solutions. In order to reduce the cost of user equipment and expand the market of satellite services, it should be possible in the future to achieve a high level of commonality of user terminals between different satellite systems, even if different transmission schemes are used. IP-based transport is an established solution for provisioning of generic services. It is also a means of unifying different underlying networks to provide interworking between them, for example between satellite and terrestrial networks such as the Internet. Nevertheless, special support or adaptation of IP is needed over satellite networks to ensure such features as QoS for multimedia services, fair access to satellite resources, efficient use of radio resources especially for bursty traffic. Therefore, a generic satellite system (and terminal) architecture based on IP services and incorporating the qualities above was defined to allow flexibility for alternative satellite technologies. This was the main objective of the BRAHMS project, whose results were further developed in the SATIP6 project, both sponsored within the 5th European Research Framework in the area of IST (Information Society and Technology). The BRAHMS project, in particular, greatly contributed to the standardization activity in the field of broadband satellite access especially within the ETSI BSM working group.