Jul 2026· International Mediterranean Conference on Communications and Networking· pp. 1-6· 0 citations· 18 references
Computer Science
Abstract
The integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks is a key enabler for seamless global connectivity in 6G systems. Existing simulation tools typically address only one domain, lacking unified architectures for capturing transient protocol-level behavior during satellite mobility events. This paper introduces BrightLight, a hybrid emulation–simulation testbed for space–terrestrial integrated networks (STINs) that combines Linux network namespaces, NS-3 mmWave channel modeling, and an Open5GS core to execute real protocol stacks under configurable satellite mobility and gateway impairments. To demonstrate the platform's ability to capture fine-grained handover dynamics, we evaluate backhaul-aware handover over a Starlink-based constellation topology, comparing conventional satellite switching against inter-satellite link (ISL) assisted rerouting under ground-segment congestion. BrightLight successfully captures transient throughput evolution, TCP buffer drainage effects, and RTT dynamics throughout the handover process, revealing that routing via ISLs to uncongested ground stations substantially reduces latency and eliminates throughput degradation. These results validate BrightLight as an effective platform for studying protocol-level handover behavior in 6G STIN architectures.
In the uplink, NR-DC outperforms satellite-only operation but remains below terrestrial-only performance, indicating that the benefit depends on traffic direction and transport behaviour, and an integrated terrestrial–LEO 5G network using a customised Simu5G framework.
G. Pradhan, Babu R. Dawadi· Discover Networks· 0 citations
COSME is presented, a route-aware, real-time mobility emulator that integrates multiple impairment models - including obstruction-based loss, constellation-induced jitter, precipitation-driven bandwidth reduction, and packet loss at handovers - into a single framework by orchestrating Linux network namespaces via tc and netem.
Eric Lanfer, Dominic Laniewski, Till Zimmermann et al.· Conference on Applications,...· 0 citations
Low Earth orbit (LEO)-based non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are emerging as a key component of 6G systems, enabling seamless connectivity over wide geographical areas. However, in Earth-moving cell (EMC)-based NTN scenarios, rapid beam movement induces frequent cell boundary crossings, resulting in excessive handover operations and significant signaling overhead. This makes efficient mobility management a critical challenge. Recently, L1/L2-triggered mobility (LTM) and conditional LTM (C-LTM), specified in 3GPP Releases 18 and 19, respectively, have been proposed as advanced handover mechanisms to enhance mobility robustness. Despite their potential, their effectiveness in highly dynamic NTN environments has not yet been systematically evaluated. This paper presents a comprehensive system-level evaluation of 3GPP handover mechanisms in NTN, including baseline handover (BHO), conditional handover (CHO), LTM, and C-LTM. A dedicated simulator is developed to capture the unique characteristics of LEO satellite networks and realistic handover procedures under EMC conditions. The results show that schemes based on LTM and C-LTM significantly improve mobility robustness by reducing radio link failures and interruption time. However, these gains come at the cost of increased handover frequency and potentially increased signaling overhead associated with frequent mobility events and measurement reporting in EMC-based NTN environments. This reveals a fundamental tradeoff between mobility robustness and signaling efficiency. The findings provide quantitative insights into the performance of emerging 3GPP mobility solutions in NTN and offer practical guidelines for designing efficient handover strategies in highly dynamic 6G NTN environments.
Gyoungmin Been, Byung-Kwan Lim, Junsu Kim et al.· IEEE Access· 0 citations
Simulation results reveal that both setup penalties and controller activation thresholds are critical determinants of system behavior across both optimization-based and heuristic schemes, highlighting the necessity of jointly optimizing reassignment policies and controller activation strategies to support robust, low-latency, and resource-aware SDN architectures for large-scale LEO satellite constellations.
Wafa Hasanain, Pablo G. Madoery, Halim Yanikomeroglu et al.· IEEE Open Journal of the Com...· 0 citations
The deployment of Ultra-Dense Networks (UDNs) in 5G systems is to meet the growing demand for high data rates and massive connectivity. However, the dense deployment of small cells increases handover frequency, leading to challenges such as handover failures (HOF), unnecessary handovers, and the ping-pong effect, leading to degradeuser Quality of Service (QoS). This paper proposes a velocity-aware adaptive handover control approach for efficient mobility management in 5G ultra-dense networks. The proposed approach dynamically adjusts Handover Control Parameters (HCPs) called Time-to-Trigger (TTT) and Handover Margin (HOM) on the real-time velocity of User Equipment (UE) and signal conditions. The system is modeled as a two-tier heterogeneous network consisting of a macrocell overlaid with multiple small cells, and performance is evaluated using the Cost 231-Hata propagation model. The findings demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the total number of handovers, mitigates the ping-pong effect, and lowers handover failure rates compared to conventional static schemes. The results confirm that velocity-aware adaptive control enhances network reliability, reduces signaling overhead, and improves overall mobility performance in 5G ultra-dense environments.
Halah Hassen Aldumaini, Hanadi Esmeail Yahya, Oloof Ameen Mohmmed et al.· 2026 6th International Confe...· 0 citations
— The increase in mobile data traffic in Fifth-Generation (5G) networks means that new handover management and content delivery solutions are needed to keep the network running smoothly and the user experience high. This paper introduces an innovative integration of Named Data Networking (NDN) into the 5G architecture, incorporating an Enhanced Popularity-Based Caching mechanism at the Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) layer of the 5G user plane. Our design is different from previous ones because it changes how content is replicated based on how mobile and dense the User Equipment (UE) and gNB are in real time. Using Python-based models, we ran a lot of simulations to compare baseline 5G, edge-caching, and full NDN configurations. The proposed solution had a Handover Success Rate (HSR) of over 90%, a Cache Hit RAtio (CHR) of between 78% and 80%, an average latency of about 20 ms, and a packet loss rate of less than 1.0% across a wide range of network scenarios. The NDN integrated architecture cuts latency by up to 35%, boosts throughput by 40%, makes fallback efficiency improved by 36.8%, and raises average HSR by 25 – 40%. All of these changes improve the Quality of Experience (QoE) in environments with a lot of movement. The research we conduct aims to facilitate seamless, scalable, and resilient content delivery for next-generation 5G edge networks.
Ade Nurhayati· Journal of Communications· 0 citations
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