On Using Edge Servers in 5G Satellite Networks

Satellite networks are expected to be an important component in 5G mobile communication systems. However, high propagation delay, limited bandwidth, and the uncertainty of orbital parameters make the 5G-satellite integration a challenging task. Satellite Edge Servers (SESes), along with Software Defined Networking (SDN), forms one of the major areas of research due to their user proximity as well as the role in reducing end-to-end latency as required by the 5G standards. In this paper, we propose a novel Satellite Edge Computing (SEC) framework for 5Gsatellite integration enabling multi-layer caching as well as intersatellite cache exchange. The efficacy of the proposed framework is analyzed using different case studies involving issues such as high mobility, dwell time, and cache prefetching. We developed a Python-based discrete event satellite network simulator to study the performance of our framework on end-to-end delay and cache hit ratio. Simulation results show that our framework achieves an end-to-end delay of 40. 17ms with 87.32% cache hit ratio.

I. Introduction

The 5G mobile infrastructures are designed to provide flexibility and support for different services and applications with high performance parameters including high reliability, low end-to-end latency ( ms), high bandwidth (data transfer rate of 100 Mbps–10 Gbps and beyond), and high scalability . However, providing 5G services becomes a challenging task in remote/rural areas due to the lack of communication infrastructure. Also, mobility makes a major hurdle in providing 5G services in environments such as aircraft, vessels, and trains. In this context, satellites can be a feasible option to make 5G services available by providing communication backhauls in space.