An efficient scheme to reduce handoff dropping in LEO satellite systems

The problem of handoffs in cellular networks is compounded in a low earth o rbit (LEO) satellite-based cellular network due to the relative motion of t he satellites with respect to a stationary observer on earth. Typically, th e velocity of motion of mobiles can be ignored when compared to the very hi gh velocity of the footprints of satellites. We exploit this properly of LE O satellite systems and propose a handoff scheme based on a channel sharing approach that results in a substantial decrease in handoff dropping. For t he same handoff dropping performance, our scheme has significantly lower ne w call blocking probability than the conventional reservation scheme. We al so present an analytical approximation that is in very good accord with sim ulation results.