Analytic Hierarchy Process Based Cell Reselection for Inactive Users in LEO Satellite Networks

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites have a global coverage and continuity, which enable them to provide communication services for users in remote areas such as mountains and oceans. This feature makes LEO satellites one of the promising research directions for 6G. Based on the variations in satellite beam coverage angles, satellite coverage cells could be classified into Earth fixed cells and Earth moving cells. In the context of LEO satellite Earth moving cells, the high mobility of satellites leads to frequent cell reselection for users, resulting in substantial signaling overhead and excessive energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a cell reselection strategy based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in the LEO satellite Earth moving cell scenario. By leveraging the periodic motion of LEO satellites, the reselection time could be predicted, and the candidate list for cell reselection could be determined. Furthermore, the Received Signal Strength and the Remaining Service Time of users are weighted according to various QoS requirements, which will decide the optimal reselection cell, thereby reducing cell reselection times. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed AHP based cell reselection strategy.