An Optimization Model of Communications Satellite Planning Article

Dutta, A, Rama, DV. (1992). An Optimization Model of Communications Satellite Planning . IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS, 40(9), 1463-1473. 10.1109/26.163567

cited authors

  • Dutta, A; Rama, DV

authors

abstract

  • The wide range of choices in technology and service offerings, increased competition, and uncertainty in the operating environment, has led to significantly increased interest in the economics of communication satellites. In this paper, we develop a mathematical planning model to help make cost effective decisions on key physical and operational parameters, for a satellite intended to provide customer premises services (CPS). The major characteristics of the model are: 1) interactions and tradeoffs among technical variables are formally captured 2) values for capacity and operational parameters are obtained through optimization, greatly reducing the need for heuristic choices of parameter values 3) effects of physical and regulatory constraints are included 4) the effects of market prices for transmission capacity on planning variables, are explicitly captured. The model is solved optimally using geometric programming methods. Sensitivity analysis yields coefficients, analogous to shadow prices, that quantitatively indicate the change in objective function value resulting from variations in input parameter values. This helps in determining the robustness of planning decisions and in coping with some of the uncertainty that exists at the planning stage. As such, the model can be useful in making economically viable planning decisions for communications satellites. © 1992 IEEE

publication date

  • January 1, 1992

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 1463

end page

  • 1473

volume

  • 40

issue

  • 9