Jitter-aware time-frequency Resource Allocation and packing algorithm

One of the main components of the next generation protected military satellite communication systems is dynamic bandwidth resource allocation (DBRA). A centralized DBRA algorithm on the satellite dynamically grants terminals time and frequency resources as their traffic demands and channel conditions change, leading to significant increase in the overall system throughput. This paper address one potential issue associated with DBRA for the satellite uplink channel, which is a multi-frequency time-division multiple access (MF-TDMA) channel. As DBRA dynamically assigns time-frequency slots to terminals, there may be uneven temporal gaps in the assignment if special care were not taken. When this happens, even though average rate demands can be met, applications may experience larger than desired delay and jitter, which may reduce the quality of certain voice and video applications. This paper presents a novel algorithm for allocating and packing time-frequency slots in a jitter-aware fashion by using groups of evenly spaced slots. The achievable delay and jitter performance is evaluated using an OPNET simulation.