Abstract
This article focuses on link and network-layer mobility issues in vehicular DVB-RCS satellite networks. The article presents a discussion on these topics before proposing a position-based spotbeam handover mechanism in some detail. The mechanism relies on regular position updates being available at mobile terminals. The NCC is responsible for making spotbeam handover decisions according to handover need information from mobile terminals with the objective to balance the load and maximise the overall utilisation. Particular emphasis has been placed on signalling issues. Backwardcompatible, light-weight, add-on mechanisms are crucial for commercial viability of a mobile DVB-RCS. Similarly, accurate modelling of existing DVB-RCS signalling mechanisms is necessary to attain useful conclusions regarding the performance of new handover mechanisms. The article briefly presents our ns-based DVB-RCS simulator and presents the performance analyses of our spotbeam handover mechanism in terms of failure rate and delay for. © 2007 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.