Network coding and its applications to satellite systems

Network coding has its roots in information theory where it was initially proposed as a way to improve a two-node communication using a (broadcasting) relay. For this theoretical construct, a satellite communications system was proposed as an illustrative example, where the relay node would be a satellite covering the two nodes. The benefits in terms of throughput, resilience, and flexibility of network coding are quite relevant for wireless networks in general, and for satellite systems in particular. This chapter presents some of the basics in network coding, as well as an overview of specific scenarios where network coding provides a significant improvement compared to existing solutions, for example, in broadcast and multicast satellite networks, hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks, and broadband multibeam satellites. The chapter also compares coding perspectives and revisits the layered networking paradigm, before drawing conclusions and identifying promising developments in this topic.