A downlink scheduler (20) is provided for scheduling the downlink transmission of data cells in a spot beam processing satellite (12). The downlink scheduler (20) includes a beam selector (48) for selecting one of the spot beams associated with the satellite (12), a plurality of wholesale selectors (50) for selecting one of a plurality of wholesalers, such that each of the wholesale selectors (50) is associated with one of the spot beams, and a plurality of retail selectors (52) for selecting one of a plurality of retail connections, such that each of the retail selectors (52) is associated with one of the wholesalers. Each of the selectors may use a packet fair queuing (PFQ) method to make its selection. The downlink scheduler (20) then passes at least one data cell from a selected retail connection to a downlink modulator (24), thereby scheduling the downlink transmission of data cells in the satellite.
展开▼
