On the Role of Non-Terrestrial Networks for Boosting Terrestrial Network Performance in Dynamic Traffic Scenarios

TL;DR

This paper presents BLASTER, a framework for integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks that dynamically optimizes resource allocation, significantly reducing power consumption and increasing throughput in fluctuating traffic scenarios.

Contribution

Introduction of BLASTER, a novel control framework for TN-NTN integration that adapts resource management to dynamic traffic, improving efficiency and performance.

Findings

45% reduction in power consumption compared to 3GPP standards

250% increase in network throughput on average

Effective adaptation to daily traffic fluctuations

Abstract

Due to an ever-expansive network deployment, numerous questions are being raised regarding the energy consumption of the mobile network. Recently, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) have proven to be a useful, and complementary solution to Terrestrial Networks (TN) to provide ubiquitous coverage. In this paper, we consider an integrated TN-NTN, and study how to maximize its resource usage in a dynamic traffic scenario. We introduce BLASTER, a framework designed to control User Equipment (UE) association, Base Station (BS) transmit power and activation, and bandwidth allocation between the terrestrial and non-terrestrial tiers. Our proposal is able to adapt to fluctuating daily traffic, focusing on reducing power consumption throughout the network during low traffic and distributing the load otherwise. Simulation results show an average daily decrease of total power consumption by 45% compared to a network model following 3GPP recommendation, as well as an average throughput increase of roughly 250%. Our paper underlines the central and dynamic role that the NTN plays in improving key areas of concern for network flexibility.