A survey of Mobility management for mobile networks supporting LEO satellite access

The integration of space, aerial and terrestrial access is an important feature of the future 6G network, and it is also one of the development trends of the current mobile network. In particular, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite has the advantages of high bandwidth, low delay and wide coverage, which can be a powerful supplement to the current mobile access method. However, the ultra-high mobility of LEO satellite brings severe challenges to the mobility management of legacy mobile networks. This paper first introduces the mobile network architecture supporting satellite access, then presents the main mobility management methods in the current IP network, and analyzes the pros and cons of various methods respectively. Then, we makes a comprehensive analysis on the mobility management methods of 5G mobile network, and puts forward the optimization idea of mobility management of satellite access, After that, we analyzes the two mobility schemes of satellite access proposed by 3GPP in SAT_ARCH project. Finally, the future research direction of mobility management of subsequent satellite access mobile network are discussed.