Handover evaluation in non‐geostationary satellite constellation systems implementing satellite mutual visibility and diversity

This paper evaluates different satellite handover procedures in non‐geostationary constellation satellite communications systems, considering satellite mutual visibility and propagation impairments. The propagation channel is characterised by a three‐state model. Performance comparison is reported in terms of average number of successful handovers per call, percentage of calls experiencing handover, probability of call completion, average required capacity per call, and volume of handover signalling exchanged between earth stations (gateway and user terminals) for each considered handover procedure.