QoS considerations for future packet switched satellite communication systems with dynamic resource allocation

To efficiently utilize limited RF resources, future packet-switched satellite networks are being designed to dynamically allocate resources on the uplink and downlink. These dynamic-resource allocation algorithms may result in uplinks and downlinks with time varying data rates. Providing QoS over these time varying channels is a difficult task. Several issues are examined including the required interaction between the network layer and link layer, the impact of links with time varying data rates on QoS schedulers, and downlink queuing strategies for achieving downlink QoS