Constellation as a Service: Tailored Connectivity Management in Direct-Satellite-to-Device Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a Constellation as a Service framework that dynamically manages multi-constellation satellite connectivity for DS2D communication, improving service rates and reducing handover overhead using AI-driven strategies.

Contribution

It proposes a novel CaaS framework that treats multi-constellation infrastructure as a shared resource, enabling tailored connectivity and efficient mobility management with AI techniques.

Findings

Significant improvement in satellite service rates.

Reduction in handover overhead.

Effective multi-constellation connectivity management.

Abstract

Direct-satellite-to-device (DS2D) communication is emerging as a promising solution for global mobile service extension, leveraging the deployment of satellite constellations. However, the challenge of managing DS2D connectivity for multi-constellations becomes outstanding, including high interference and frequent handovers caused by multi-coverage overlap and rapid satellite movement. Moreover, existing approaches primarily operate within single-constellation shell, which inherently limits the ability to exploit the vast potential of multi-constellation connectivity provision, resulting in suboptimal DS2D service performances. To address these challenges, this article proposes a Constellation as a Service (CaaS) framework, which treats the entire multi-constellation infrastructure as a shared resource pool and dynamically forms optimal sub-constellations (SCs) for each DS2D service region. The formation of each SC integrates satellites from various orbits to provide tailored connectivity based on user demands, guided by two innovative strategies: predictive satellite beamforming using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and pre-configured handover path for efficient satellite access and mobility management. Simulation results demonstrate that CaaS significantly improves satellite service rates while reducing handover overhead, making it an efficient and continuable solution for managing DS2D connectivity in multi-constellation environments.