Error Control for Multicasting in Satellite and Hybrid Communication Networks

Abstract

A problem inherent in ARQ multicasting over a broadcast channel is thata retransmission typically benefits only a minority of destinationswhile all others wait unproductively. This results in poorthroughput to each receiving station in the network, with thethroughput diminishing as the number of receivers grows.<p>If point-to-point links between the transmitter and each receiver werealso available, then conceivably retransmissions could be sent over suchsecondary links. This would reduce the frequency of retransmissionsinterrupting the flow of new packets on the broadcast link. That is,a hybrid satellite-terrestrial network architecture would allowgreater throughput for multicasting than a pure-satellite network.<p>This work examines ARQ multicasting in such a network, and confirms byanalysis and simulation that, within limits, such a throughput advantagecan be realized. A detailed discussion of implementation aspects forpoint-to-point and point-to-multipoint ARQ protocols in bothpure-satellite and hybrid networks is presented as well. This work alsoconsiders partitioning a fixed amount of bandwidth to maximize throughput,possibly subject to a cost constraint, and the effect of a "poorlistener" upon performance in both pure-satellite and hybrid networks.<p>