SAILOR project general architecture: Simulation and emulation of an integrated T/S-UMTS system based on an innovative fully IP core network

The SAILOR project will implement a demonstrator, aiming at a complete integration between T-UMTS & S-UMTS. The demonstrator will add new functionalities that will exploit more efficiently the utilization of the satellite segment, provide a meaningful environment to implement more advanced multimedia services (broadcast, multicast) and allow a more advanced implementation of the UMTS Core Network. The demonstrator will consist of a real UMTS Core Network, to be developed through a completely innovative approach and of two emulated Access Networks. Moreover, in the framework of SAILOR project, an advanced Call Admission Control algorithm and an innovative Cellular Planning tool will be designed and implemented. At this purpose a proper Terrestrial and Satellite UMTS Access Network software simulator will be developed and implemented, with the goal of validating the abovementioned algorithms. Two experiments will be carried out: Fully IP Based Core Network Experiment and Access Network Resources (satellite-terrestrial) Optimisation Experiment. In this paper the overall project will be described with particular attention to the two foreseen experiments and to the main concepts at the basis of them.