Seamless Handover in Direct-to-Device Satellite Networks: From an Interference-Aware Perspective

2026-02-28

AI Summary

This study addresses the severe co-channel interference (CCI) and service disruptions in device-to-device (D2D) low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks caused by conventional handover strategies, which are exacerbated by the high mobility of satellites and wide-beam coverage. To mitigate these issues, this work proposes a seamless handover method that integrates an interference-aware mechanism into handover decisions, dynamically optimizing an elevation angle threshold (EAT) to simultaneously ensure satellite visibility and suppress CCI. The optimal EAT is derived through numerical optimization and validated via a customized D2D LEO satellite network simulator implemented on the NS-3 platform. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly reduces handover packet loss and enhances service continuity, offering a highly reliable handover solution for 6G D2D satellite communications.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Search
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Satisfiability

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Measurement, analysis, and circumvention of Web censorship

Abstract

The direct-to-device (D2D) satellite network is an important 6G evolution direction to enable seamless ubiquitous connectivity. However, the network faces critical handover challenges due to high satellite mobility and wide beam footprints. Conventional handover strategies, mostly designed for terrestrial networks, may encounter excessive co-channel interference (CCI) and service degradation in the satellite environments. To address the issue, this paper introduces a novel handover optimization method to perform dynamic adjustment of an important parameter called elevation angle threshold (EAT) from an interference-aware perspective. Explicitly, we first analyze the trade-off between satellite visibility and CCI. Then, we propose a numerical algorithm to determine the optimal EAT that can achieve seamless coverage with CCI. We validate our method using a customized D2D LEO satellite network simulator in the Network Simulator (NS-3). The results demonstrate that the EAT optimization significantly reduces packet loss and hence enhances handover reliability. The work highlights the importance of interference-aware handover design for improving service continuity in future D2D satellite networks.

Problem

• handover
• co-channel interference
• direct-to-device satellite network
• seamless connectivity
• elevation angle threshold

Innovation

• handover optimization
• interference-aware
• elevation angle threshold
• direct-to-device satellite
• co-channel interference