Broadband satellite services, such as satellite- based Internet of Things and cloud services, have attracted much attention recently. To achieve the goal of anytime and anywhere high-speed satellite communications, there is a big demand for satellite spectrum. The push for improving spectrum efficiency in satellite systems has been an important issue, mainly from the perspectives of spectrum reuse and dynamic spectrum access. In this article, we investigate the feasibility of improving satellite spectrum efficiency from another viewpoint, that is, introducing a game-theoretical approach, including spectrum pricing and auction, for satellite spectrum dynamic allocation. Although spectrum pricing and auction have been suggested for terrestrial networks, this work aims to establish a market-inspired model to address distinct characteristic features of satellite communications. In particular, we propose a generic satellite spectrum pricing scheme, taking into account three factors: spectrum reuse in multi-beam satellite systems (MSS), where intercell interference should be mitigated; the heterogeneous nature of satellite transmission links in different spectrum bands, in which a differential pricing scheme is desirable; and predictable and periodic satellite switching from one non-GEO satellite link to another, where traffic-oriented pricing should be used. Finally, the challenges and future works in satellite mobile communications are identified.

中文翻译：

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卫星移动通信中频谱效率的提高：一种博弈论方法

近来，诸如基于卫星的物联网和云服务之类的宽带卫星服务备受关注。为了实现随时随地高速卫星通信的目标，对卫星频谱的需求很大。主要从频谱复用和动态频谱接入的角度出发，推动提高卫星系统频谱效率的努力已成为一个重要问题。在本文中，我们从另一个角度探讨了提高卫星频谱效率的可行性，即引入一种博弈论方法，包括频谱定价和拍卖，以进行卫星频谱动态分配。尽管建议为地面网络进行频谱定价和拍卖，这项工作旨在建立一种以市场为导向的模型，以解决卫星通信的鲜明特征。特别是，我们考虑到三个因素，提出了一种通用的卫星频谱定价方案：多波束卫星系统（MSS）中的频谱复用，应减少小区间干扰；卫星传输链路在不同频谱中的异构性质，在这种情况下，需要采用不同的定价方案；从一个非GEO卫星链路到另一链路的可预测且定期的卫星切换，应使用面向流量的定价。最后，确定了卫星移动通信中的挑战和未来的工作。多波束卫星系统（MSS）中的频谱复用，应减少小区间干扰；卫星传输链路在不同频谱中的异构性质，在这种情况下，需要采用不同的定价方案；以及从一个非GEO卫星链路到另一链路的可预测且定期的卫星切换，应使用面向流量的定价。最后，确定了卫星移动通信中的挑战和未来的工作。多波束卫星系统（MSS）中的频谱复用，应减少小区间干扰；卫星传输链路在不同频谱中的异构性质，在这种情况下，需要采用不同的定价方案；从一个非GEO卫星链路到另一链路的可预测且定期的卫星切换，应使用面向流量的定价。最后，确定了卫星移动通信中的挑战和未来的工作。