SIF: Flexible Identifier Based Forwarding for Heterogeneous Non-Terrestrial Network

Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) provide reliable and extensive coverage, which is crucial for communication in remote and underserved areas. However, using traditional IP transmission methods within NTN's expansive three-dimensional network results in frequent protocol switches and complex address management. In this paper, we propose a Scalable Integrated Forwarding (SIF) mechanism for heterogeneous NTN interconnection with flexible identifiers. We design a scalable packet header processing method capable of handling address identifiers of varying lengths at the same node. Additionally, we develope a scalable identifier mapping method to achieve communication between identifiers of different lengths. Finally, we validated the feasibility of the proposed mechanism on the simulation platform. Numerical results demonstrate that SIF is more flexible than traditional methods while effectively ensuring performance in terms of transmission delay and bandwidth.