A Hybrid SDN-based Architecture for Secure and QoS aware Routing in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGINs)

Abstract

The dawn of near 100% global coverage and Tbps data rates is not far as the six generation (6G) networks official roll out is expected around 2030. To match these expectations, new paradigm shifts in terms of global coverage and utilised spectrum are currently under investigation. Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGINs) are envisaged to be an integral part of 6G networks to achieve network connectivity anywhere on earth using terrestrial, aerial, and satellite communications. However, the provision of end-to-end routes in SAGIN is very complex given its multi-dimensional, multi-tier, and heterogenous nature. Moreover, satisfying the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and security of these routes is not trivial in SAGINs. In this paper, a novel hybrid Software Defined Networking (SDN)-based architecture for secure and QoS aware routing in SAGINs is proposed. Using Multiple SDN controllers at different levels in SAGINs, the architecture follows a hierarchical structure with different routing provisioning layers, at different levels, to exploit the heterogeneity of SAGINs to find multiple routes that satisfy the security and QoS requirements. To illustrate its efficiency, a case study of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology is used to show how an end-to-end charging service, for an electric vehicle, can be built on top of the proposed architecture.