Resource Allocation in Satellite Networks—From Physical to Virtualized Network Functions

The integration of satellite communications (SatCom) and networking into fifth generation wireless networks (5G) and their foreseen role in the forthcoming 6th generation (6G) has been gaining relevance, especially with the advent of nano-satellites. However, full SatCom integration into 5G and beyond requires carefully revisiting radio resource allocation techniques that have been developed and successfully applied in the satellite context to fit in the highly virtualized environment that characterizes these networks. This entails adaptation of both architectural and algorithmic aspects, in order to maintain end-to-end performance requirements in a highly heterogeneous networking framework. We consider in particular bandwidth allocation schemes and suggest modeling and architectural paradigms that appear as more promising in this respect.