The implementation of fixed and mobile interactive satellite services requires good coverage in satellite broadcast transmission, as well as a low data speed return link for satellite access. However, availability problems affect both the forward and the return link. We propose a hybrid solution for enhancing coverage in the forward link based on a cooperative ad-hoc networking approach, which is largely more flexible than the fixed gap-fillers solution. As for the return link, we study the possibility of recovering information from the collided signals by leveraging on physical layer network coding in order to increase system throughput.

BIO: Giuseppe Cocco (Italy) received his MSc degree (Cum Laude) in Telecommunications Engineering from the “Università di Pisa” in Pisa (Italy) in 2008. Since October 2008 he is pursuing his PhD at the Signal Theory and Communications Department (TSC) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). In 2008 he was awarded the PhD fellowship of the CTTC. In 2009 he was awarded the Networking/Partnering Initiative (NPI) grant by the European Space Agency (ESA) for his research proposal on gap-filler-less mobile satellite networks. From beginning of July 2010 until end of July 2011 he stayed at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in the Netherlands working on the application of Network Coding to satellite communications.