Adaptive Carrier Aggregation for Enhanced Reliability in Multi-Band GEO Satellite Systems

Enhancing reliability in high-throughput satellites (HTS) operating in geostationary orbit (GEO) is critical, particularly under adverse channel conditions. This study investigates the potential of multi-connectivity (MC) enabled by carrier aggregation (CA) to improve the data rate, ensuring a high level of reliability of multi-band Ka/Ku GEO HTS systems. A system and channel model for the multi-band GEO satellite system is developed, and an inter-band CA algorithm is proposed. This algorithm dynamically adjusts the user link transmission scheme based on channel quality and user requirements, ranging from a single Ka-band connectivity to MC, utilizing both bands with CA via packet duplication or packet splitting. The numerical results in various weather scenarios validate the effectiveness of the algorithm, demonstrating significant improvements in system performance, reduced outage probability, and improved overall system reliability. These findings highlight the importance of MC and multi-band technologies in future 6G networks.