Francesco Zampognaro

• Ph.D.
• Research Grant at University of Rome Tor Vergata

4G mobile networks were the first to allow packet-switched voice calls, supported by an optional IP-based infrastructure called IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). These are part of the Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) service, called afterwards Voice over New Radio (VoNR) in 5G. In parallel, 3GPP defined the possibility of user terminals accessin...

The deployment of 5G networks is approaching a mature phase in many countries across the world. However, little efforts have been done so far to scientifically compare ElectroMagnetic Field (EMF) exposure and traffic levels before and after the activation of 5G service over the territory. The goal of this work is to provide a sound comparative asse...

AMOR project focuses on the development of pre-commercial services addressed to the Institutions responsible for the conservation and the valorisation of the Cultural Heritage. Services, developed both for Safeguard and Fruition, will be tested at the Ancient Baths of Caracalla and on Aurelian walls, that will be surveyed with several technologies...

New scenarios and use cases are raising following the birth of the fifth generation of mobile communications (5G). The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the main use cases which are growing, leading to a massive amount of data that needs to be exchanged throughout the Internet. Satellite Communication (SatCom) networks are essential in remote and...

The design and implementation of an efficient end-to-end IP-based infrastructure for the delivery of multimedia content is of paramount importance in current public networks, dominated by the constant growth of video streaming traffic. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) represent the main technological solution to manage the huge volumes of traffic i...

5G communication models, based on service-based architectures, network function virtualization and separation between data and control planes, move the attention on network capabilities and functions rather than physical resources. Consequently, 5G-based services can easily rely on satellites to optimize performance or broaden their scope, even tra...

The adoption of the NB-IoT technology in satellite communications intends to boost Internet of Things services beyond the boundaries imposed by the current terrestrial infrastructures. Apart from link-level studies in the scientific literature and preliminary 3GPP technical reports, the overall debate is still open. To provide a further step forwar...

TCP Wave relies on a disruptive communication paradigm based on bursts, to overcome limitations of legacy TCP with modern applications and challenging network scenarios. This protocol was already validated with appealing results via simulations. This work now presents its implementation in the Linux kernel, focusing on the adaptations needed to dea...

The availability of network softwarization and virtualization technology in the field of telecommunications has opened the door to a radical review of the applications, protocols, and deployment models. In this evolving framework, old assumptions and constraints specific to satellite communications must be carefully re-assessed. To this aim, we rev...

TCP Wave relies on a disruptive communication paradigm based on bursts, to overcome limitations of legacy TCP with modern applications and challenging network scenarios. This protocol was already validated with appealing results via simulations. This work now presents its implementation in the Linux kernel, focusing on the adaptations needed to dea...

Video streaming today shows a widespread success, representing already the greatest portion of the Internet's IP traffic. The most common approach in today's networks is to adopt HTTP-based solutions, such as the Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) protocol. This choice allows using general purpose web clients (web browsers) to access video...

Immersive technology is expected to become a key player in the next wave of consumer electronics with potential applications spanning a wide variety of sectors. Yet, there are a number of technological hurdles which need to be addressed. Without speed and computation capability, interactivity cannot be ensured. More than often the constrained natur...

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) allows a fast deployment of customized solutions when and where needed, supporting breakthrough operational models compliant to multi-tenancy and slicing paradigms. This approach enables challenging communication scenarios overcoming possible performance flaws as well as enabling new disruptive services within...

The QUIC protocol suite is going to approach its final stages of standardization to become part of the official Internet standards (RFCs) and of the new HTTP/3 specification. Some of its disruptive characteristics, such as the 0-RTT establishment of secure communications and a connection-oriented management over a UDP-based connectionless transport...

We present the design and implementation aspects of a virtualized Performance Enhancing Proxy (vPEP), achieving performance optimizations in a 5G compliant architecture involving the satellite as an alternate, additional backhaul link. The deployment of hybrid terrestrial-satellite configurations is realized through the vPEP agent, meant as a chain...

In the definition of advanced 5G scenarios, one of the possible configurations including the satellite link is to consider it to provide a supplementary capacity to enhance backhauling towards data networks. The peculiar satellite physical characteristics and the resulting challenging communication environment (i.e., large propagation delays, possi...

The 5G standardization activities are going to be finalized. The full set of specifications for the next generation telecommunication systems, which will be based on flexible network management and new services definition, is expected for mid 2018 (release 15) and for mid 2019 (release 16). At the same time, High Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform...

Video streaming is nowadays the dominant Internet application contributing to most of the generated IP traffic. In the 5G era, network slicing and dynamic management can lead to link changes due to handover for offloading and/or optimization purposes, making bottleneck bandwidth and experienced latency varying over time. In this framework, sat...

The current shift toward the virtualization of network infrastructure components enables a dynamic instantiation, deployment and configuration of virtual network functions (VNFs), which can be offered "as-a-service" to multiple tenants, thus enabling 5G architectures. Simultaneously, the recent high throughput satellite (HTS) systems can play an im...

The availability of multiple technologies to access the Internet is even more common in today's connectivity scenarios. As an example, smartphones make use of 3G/4G data technology but, when a Wi‐Fi access point is available, they switch from 3G/4G (which typically is a paid per volume service) to the wireless local access. The same principle is ap...

New High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems allow high throughput IP uplinks/contribution at Ka-band frequencies for relatively lower costs when compared to broadcasting satellite uplinks at Ku band. This technology offers an advantage for live video contribution from remote areas, where the terrestrial infrastructure may not be adequate. On the ot...

Internet access is becoming even more heterogeneous, including different wireless backhauling links, with Ka-band satellites as a possible alternative. Since communication path is unknown a priori, adoption of PEP solutions to optimize TCP performance over satellite is discouraged to allow dynamic network reconfigurations. To opposite, an end-to-en...

In case of an emergency event (e.g., earthquake, storm, flood) cultural heritage and archeological monuments must be particularly cared because of their inestimable value and the intrinsic greater fragility. Morphological surveys must be executed immediately for quick identification of damages so that the needed operations can be planned and perfor...

After a shipwreck people wear life vest and the available telecommunication systems for rescue operations offer, in the best case, just approximate localization of relicts or lifeboats. A communication system tailored to provide a reliable and real time updated map of positions and health conditions of floating people can improve efficiency of resc...

The paper describes the project “Integrated technologies for fire monitoring and first alert” proposed by the authors to satisfy technical requirements of the Firefighter Bodies with particular attention to the monitoring of wood fires and release of chemical materials. The target system is composed of three sub-systems: sensors to detect target pa...

The rapid evolution of the Web imposes the need of enhancing the HTTP over satellite channels. To this aim, SPDY is a protocol engineered to reduce download times of content rich pages, as well as for managing links characterized by large Round Trip Times (RTTs) and high packet losses. With such features, it could be an efficient solution to cope w...

This paper addresses the definition and testing, through a network emulation platform, of satellite IP-based live video streaming. Specifically, a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) VSAT commercial service operating at Ka-band was considered as core network for IP data transport. This approach opens the way to the definition of a new live “low cost -...

In case of hybrid access networks, the selected link can suddenly change leading to a vertical handover. A running TCP connection can experience a combination of three potential effects: a bandwidth change, a latency change and an outage interval due to handover operations. In this context, we address a detailed performance analysis of standard TCP...

Satellites represent a solution for Internet access in locations with no other telecom infrastructures, for example, on high mobility platforms such as planes, ships or high-speed trains, or for disaster recovery applications. However, due to peculiar characteristics, satellite networks are prone to different security threats. In this paper, we int...

Mobile user terminals allow to access different networks through several interfaces. Seamless communications is an essential requirement and service continuity is its main metric from user perspective. Mobile IPv6, ad-hoc routing, dynamic link layer protocol, SDN paradigm greatly facilitate mobility and network flexibility. Nonetheless, full mobili...

Cloud computing can signi cantly improve efficiency in Internet utilization and data management. Several cloud applications (file sharing, backup, data up/download etc.) imply transfers of large amount of data without real-time requirements. In several use-cases cloud-computing solutions reduce operational costs and guarantee target QoS. These solu...

Broadband communication via satellite systems finds applications in several contexts where other technologies are not available or economically not convenient. Examples are remote areas, disaster struck areas, or vessels/ships. The scarce availability and the high cost of the bandwidth impose to improve flexibility in bandwidth management and dynam...

Random Access (RA) techniques have been included in the novel DVB-RCS2 standard due to an expected efficiency in addressing SCADA and M2M traffic. Such traffic relies on intermittent sources sending short messages on a periodic time scale. Efficiency is usually assessed in terms of layer-2 packet loss rate without taking into account indirect effec...

The rapid evolution of the Web imposes the need of enhancing the HTTP over satellite channels. To this aim, SPDY is a protocol engineered to reduce download times of content rich pages, as well as for managing links characterized by large Round Trip Times (RTTs) and high packet losses. With such features, it could be an efficient solution to cope w...

SPDY is a new application technology, introduced by Google, to accelerate Web transfers over common internet links. Most of the SPDY techniques (i.e. header compression, pushing and multiplexing) are usually included in satellite Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs) to optimize performance. Therefore, SPDY over satellite is expected to improve perf...

SPDY is a recent Web technology aimed to improve webpages load time, and thus resource use optimization, through the implementation of: multiplexing and prioritization of webpage objects, header compression, resource pushing and encryption. Most of these techniques are already implemented in Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs), which are adopted i...

An efficient resource allocation is of paramount importance to guarantee the best performance with a fair distribution of satellite capacity, even for Multi-beam High Throughput Satellites (HTS) platforms. These platforms are recently gaining relevance for broadband Internet access and are nowadays able to provide xDSL like services. Although the a...

SPDY is a recent Web technology aimed to drastically improve web page load time. Its application on the common terrestrial networks allows expected benefits through a set of methods: multiplexing and priority of webpage objects, header compression, pushing and encryption. Currently, a performance assessment of SPDY over satellite is not available....

In satellite systems, notwithstanding recently launched systems have significantly increased bandwidth availability and improved cost effectiveness, the efficient resource management to achieve competitive final cost to the users, not renouncing to the right satisfaction in terms of quality of service, is of primary importance. Optimization of capa...

DVB-S/S2 is used to provide multimedia broadcasting and unidirectional IP based services over satellite networks, while DVB-RCS enhances transmission in a bidirectional way, enabling transmission over the satellite return channel. Streaming Encapsulation (GSE) protocols are defined to transport 'P datagrams over DVB. They provide several benefits o...

TCP Noordwijk manages very efficiently Internet traffic when a satellite link is included in the path. The improvement of the bandwidth estimator can further increase performance, especially in presence of competing traffic using other TCP protocols, and the exploitation of innovative service paradigms, first of all, cloud computing. In this respec...

he great diffusion of wireless portable and handheld devices, along with the growing availability of applications on the Internet, led to a significant increase in the demand of access. Users require to continue business or private activities when moving, with performance at least comparable with that experienced over fixed networks. A very interes...

Bandwidth in Satellite systems is a resource typically scarce and expensive. To increase efficiency and contain costs of satellite communications, bandwidth on demand (BoD) mechanisms are often employed, able to make shared resource utilization efficient. Adopting the proper Quality of Service (QoS) approach is of paramount importance to allow the...

Satellite systems can be fruitfully utilized to provide connectivity to terrestrial sensor networks to exploit large-scale monitoring applications based on IP protocol. Sensor traffic patterns are very different from those occurring with current Internet applications, so that performance evaluation requires some specific investigation with the aim...

In order to assess the performance of TCP/IP based applications and protocols for communication over heterogeneous networks, simulation and emulation activities are of great importance. In particular, real time emulation provides the opportunity to reproduce realistic environment thanks to the implementation in laboratory of real architectures and...

To improve performance and decrease costs of satellite telecommunication service, new technological solutions need to be developed. For what concerns the DVB-RCS standard, a widespread standard for broadband interactive communications through satellite, an update called Next Generation (NG) is upcoming, with the goal of amending the previous standa...

TCP Noordwijk has been designed and implemented to optimize short transfers (i.e. HTTP traffic) over satellite links, while assuring good performance for long transfers (e.g., FTP) as well. It was developed in the frame of an European Space Agency (ESA) project [†]. Its target scenario is a controlled communication environment adopting DVB-RCS stan...

To exchange medical data between two distant locations is of paramount importance in a significant number of scenarios (emergency, developing countries, home care, training, etc.). This paper presents performance evaluation, through emulation and using real medical equipment, of a Telemedicine application including Electro-encephalographic (EEG) da...

ESA Satlabs proposed a splitting architecture, named Interoperable-Performance Enhancing Proxy (I-PEP), which defines a protocol stack for the edges of a Digital Video Broadcasting-Return Channal over Satellite (DVB-RCS) link with the aim of improving performance of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)-based applications. At the transport layer of I...

With the proliferation of network management tools that adjust link and path characteristics to optimize network performance and health, TCP's are frequently incorporating path characteristic detection mechanisms to quickly adapt to the effects of these changes. Optimal TCP performance, including rapid adaptability, depends on, among other things,...

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) performance over Digital Video Broadcasting—Return Channel via Satellite (DVB-RCS) standard is greatly affected by the total delay, which is mainly due to two components, propagation delay and access delay. Both are significant because they are dependent on the long propagation path of the satellite link. The for...

This paper analyses performance of competing TCP connections when running over different return channel satellite terminals (RCSTs) and competing for DVB-RCS return link bandwidth through DAMA mechanisms. A test campaign has been performed over a Linux-based satellite emulator supporting a multi-RCST configuration in a star-based architecture, with...

High-speed rail is emerging in the world as an increasingly popular and efficient means of transportation used by a lot of people, who may also need a broadband Internet connection while travelling for their business and leisure. Satellite systems for their intrinsic characteristic, such as global coverage, reduced impact of Doppler effect due to l...

To achieve fully mobile communications, considering different environments and modern service requirements, a multiple-segment architecture is the most suitable to guarantee service continuity with acceptable performance. Handover (HO) procedures can be invoked either out of necessity (if the current network connection is going off) or to improve p...

Data distribution over satellite is becoming more and more important due to the need of convergence of several services over IP (e.g. Triple Play) where the classic DSL is not available. There are in fact examples, especially in rural communities, of successful satellite based wireless services to offer IP communication and broadband Internet conne...

This paper addresses the study of TCP performance over a heterogeneous network, where the access to IP based services is provided through the integration of terrestrial and satellite wireless technologies. This architecture is particularly suited for example for emergency communications, but presents some drawbacks in case TCP is used as transport...

In a scenario where people need to travel frequently for their business and leisure, spending a lot of time on high-speed trains, airplanes or ships, it is necessary to provide them a broadband Internet connection while moving. Broadband satellite systems, for their characteristics in terms of coverage and flexibility, can be the best solution for...

DVB-RCS links, as well as most of VSAT systems, to improve TCP performance usually consider a PEP solution. The SatLabs group of the European Space Agency issued I-PEP, selecting SCPS-TP as transport protocol, which supports two congestion control schemes: TCP Vegas (default) and van Jacobson's Slow Start and Congestion Avoidance. In both cases the...

Satellite networks play a fundamental role in the provision of a broadband and global Internet access. Nonetheless, features of satellite systems imply worse performance of transport protocols, actually more suitable for wired terrestrial networks. In particular, TCP and UDP need enhancements to improve performance in various communication scenario...

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) performance over Digital Video Broadcasting—Return Channel via Satellite (DVB‐RCS) standard is greatly affected by the total delay, which is mainly due to two components, propagation delay and access delay. Both are significant because they are dependent on the long propagation path of the satellite link. The for...

This paper deals with the design of an emulator platform mainly aimed to reproduce the behaviour of real satellite networks supporting dynamic bandwidth allocation schemes (DAMA). The most important feature is the extreme flexibility in configuring satellite topology, architecture and protocol stack of the involved elements (i.e. Satellite Terminal...

Telemedicine services represent a valuable opportunity to provide medical assistance ensuring high flexibility and prompt set up and to significantly reduce costs. The use of hybrid networks based on satellites and terrestrial wireless systems can be extremely advantageous in terms of flexibility, capillarity and integration with modern medical equ...

Two aspects of DVB-RCS standard can worsen performance of TCP data connections: DAMA access scheme, since it introduces additional and variable delay to the already significant propagation delay and the adoption of Adaptive Coding on the return link to maximize bandwidth efficiency to face variable weather conditions, because it results in variable...

In a mobile communication scenario handover functions must be supported in order to keep connection alive while switching between different points of access. Moreover, if the infrastructure is composed of different networks or technologies, intersegment handover is necessary to roam from a component to another. The handover function is implemented...

OPC-XML defines a standard method for accessing automation data in the industry field. This protocol relies on Web service communications allowing a great compatibility and a software/hardware independent definition. Nevertheless, this underlying protocol does not take into account temporal Quality of Service. Therefore, when a contract is defined...