Resource Management in LEO Satellite ATM Networks

Petia Todorova

The communication infrastructure of the 21st centery will be characterized by
the integration of the broadband networking technologies with mobile multimedia
services and global coverage. A key role in this integration effort plays the
development of Asynchronous Transfer Method (ATM) as a basic transport
mechanism for Broadband- Internet, Broadband-ISDN and other technologies in a
highly integrated and flexible manner.

When ATM was first introduced in terrestrial networks it promised to
revolutionize communication, providing scalability and performance together
with Quality of Service. As satellite ATM networks were created, the advantages
of ATM and of satellite over terrestrial transmission were combined. ATM
provides faster transmission rate, bandwidth on demand, compatibility with
previous existing protocols and guaranted Quality of Service. As a result
concepts have been developed moving the centralized, earth-based traditional
ATM paradigm into 'the sky', by putting ATM Switches into satellites in order
to achieve higher bandwidths and global coverage. The Resource Management
concept implemented in the Satellite ATM Network is important because of the
limited bandwidth in the satellite channel, the fact that the total link
capacity has to be devided among several carriers, the large propagation delay
(latency), and the limited buffer capacity of the on-board ATM switch. 

The LEO Satellite ATM Network to be developed within the Project "ATM-Sat:
ATM-Based Multimedia Communication via LEO Satellites" will be presented
focusing on Resource Management requirements, functions and implementation
solutions proposed. Partners in the project are: DLR Oberpffafenhofen -
Institute of Communications and Navigation, GMD-FOKUS Berlin - Research
Institute for Open Communication Systems and Bosch Telecom GmbH Backnang.
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Petia L. Todorova was Born in Sofia, Bulgaria. Received the M.S. degree in
electrical engineering and the PhD degree (1980) in computer networks from the
Technical University at Sofia. Joint the Research Institute in
Telecommunications of Sofia, where she worked until 1987. From 1977 to 1983
research on the development and evaluation of routing and flow control
mechanisms for PSDN. From 1983 to 1987 involved in the investigation of data
transmission using ISDN, and interconnection solutions for open PSDN and ISDN.
1987-1988 visiting scientist at the University in West Berlin. Since 1988 at
the Research Institute for Open Communication Systems (GMD-FOKUS) in Berlin.

Since 1989 exposed to ETSI and ITU-T SG 13 standardisation body work and to the
international projects RACE 1049, EU-P232, EU-P506, EU-P607, EU-P809, and
EU-P912, on ATM signalling, integration of B-ISDN and IN , broadband multimedia
services, mobility in broadband environment based on IN evolution and security
requirements for mobility in IP networks. Participation in ACTS INSIGNIA "IN
and B-ISDN Signalling Integration on ATM Platforms", ACTS ELISA "European
Experiment on the Linkage between Internet Integrated services and ATM",
ATM-Sat and COMED projects. Publications in various areas of network protocols,
architectures, interworking and multimedia applications. Co-author in one
internationally published book on Intelligent Networks.