peer reviewed

This paper investigates downlink transmission in 5G Integrated Satellite-Terrestrial Networks (ISTNs) supporting automotive users (UEs) in urban environments, where base stations (BSs) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites (LSats) cooperate to serve moving UEs over shared C-band frequency carriers. Urban settings, characterized by dense obstructions, together with UE mobility, and the dynamic movement and coverage of LSats pose significant challenges to user association and resource allocation. To address these challenges, we formulate a multi-objective optimization problem designed to improve both throughput and seamless handover (HO). Particularly, the formulated problem balances sum-rate (SR) maximization and connection change (CC) minimization through a weighted trade-off by jointly optimizing power allocation and BS-UE/LSat-UE associations over a given time window. This is a mixed-integer and non-convex problem which is inherently difficult to solve. To solve this problem efficiently, we propose an iterative algorithm based on the Successive Convex Approximation (SCA) technique. Furthermore, we introduce a practical prediction-based algorithm capable of providing efficient solutions in real-world implementations. Especially, the simulations use arealistic 3D map of Londonand UE routes obtained from the Google Navigator application to ensure practical examination. Thanks to these realistic data, the simulation results can show valuable insights into the link budget assessment in urban areas due to the impact of buildings on transmission links under the blockage, reflection, and diffraction effects. Furthermore, the numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms in terms of SR and the CC-number compared to the greedy and benchmark algorithms.

This paper examines integrated satellite-terrestrial networks (ISTNs) in urban environments, where terrestrial networks (TNs) and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) share the same frequency band in the C-band which is considered the promising band for both systems. The dynamic issues in ISTNs, arising from the movement of low Earth orbit satellites (LEOSats) and the mobility of users (UEs), are addressed. The goal is to maximize the sum rate by optimizing link selection for UEs over time. To tackle this challenge, an efficient iterative algorithm is developed. Simulations using a realistic 3D map provide valuable insights into the impact of urban environments on ISTNs and also demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

This paper investigates the uplink transmission of an integrated satellite-terrestrial network, wherein the low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites provide backhaul services to isolated cellular base stations (BSs) for forwarding mobile user (UE) data to the core network. In this integrated system, the high mobility of LEO satellites (LEOSats) introduces significant challenges in managing radio resource allocation (RA), as well as the associations between UEs, BSs, and LEOSats for supporting users’ demands efficiently, while also dynamically balancing the capacity of UE-BS access and BS-LEO backhaul links. Regarding these critical issues, the paper aims to jointly optimize the two-tier UE-BS and BS-LEOSat association, sub-channel assignment, bandwidth allocation, and power control to meet users’ demands in the shortest transmission time. This optimization problem, however, falls into the category of mixed-integer non-convex programming, making it very challenging and requiring advanced solution techniques to find optimal solutions. To tackle this complex problem efficiently, we first develop an iterative centralized algorithm by utilizing convex approximation and compressed-sensing-based methods to deal with binary variables. Furthermore, for practical implementation and to offload computation from the central processing node, we propose a Dec-Alg that can be implemented in parallel at local controllers and achieve efficient solutions. Numerical results are also illustrated to strengthen the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms compared to traditional greedy and benchmark algorithms.