Unified MIMO channel model for mobile satellite systems with ancillary terrestrial component

This paper develops a general and unified multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channel model applicable to both mobile satellite systems (MSS) and ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) links of integrated MSS with ATC. Major channel parameters pertaining to the MSS and ATC links, such as large-scale path loss, shadowing effect, small-scale multi-path fading, satellite elevation angle, channel polarization and temporal correlations, antenna cross-polarization discrimination and environment cross-polar coupling, are all taken into account in a compact, flexible and fully parameterized way. Moreover, a step-by-step methodology used for Monte-Carlo simulation of the proposed channel model is explicitly provided. Further, numerical results illustrating the effects of several channel parameters are presented. The proposed model is general and constitutes a fundamental kernel for the design and performance evaluation of MSS-ATC networks, and is also suitable for the modeling of other hybrid networks such as heterogeneous networks.