Forced-Retransmission Based Hybrid HARQ Scheme for GEO Satellite Communications

In this paper, a hybrid HARQ scheme was proposed by combing forced retransmission and traditional HARQ together, after analyzing the characteristics of satellite channel and the problem encountered when utilizing HARQ scheme in GEO satellite communication system. The forced retransmission can make a packet be correctly decoded more quickly and shorten the waiting delay. Meanwhile, to balance the delay and throughput, the proper parameters were given for the proposed hybrid scheme. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme performs well at decreasing the waiting delay, especially when SNR is low. The conclusion can be drawn that the proposed scheme can improve the HARQ performance in GEO satellite communication systems.