Link layer FEC for Quality-of-Service provision for mobile internet services over DVB-S2

This paper presents the performance that can be achieved when applying forward error correction (FEC) at the link layer (LL) level for Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)-S2-based transmission to attain reliable reception in mobile environments. Our scenario of interest is the interactive railway scenario with two different channel assumptions: Line-of-Sight together with the effect of railway Power Archers (LOS+PA) and non-Line-of-Sight (nLOS). We analyze the performance and compatibility of the different LL-FEC schemes already available in the DVB family of standards: Multiple Protocol Encapsulation-FEC (MPE-FEC) and MPE Inter-Burst FEC (MPE-IFEC). We compare their performance when adopting Reed-Solomon (RS) or Raptor FEC Codes. Both theoretical and simulation analysis reveal that LL-FEC can overcome the fade in the railway scenario by selecting appropriate FEC codes. The solution finally adopted by the DVB-RCS+M standard is discussed and two cross-layer transmission architectures are presented that allow adaptive Quality-of-Service provision over generic LL encapsulation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.