arxiv: 2605.13098 · v1 · submitted 2026-05-13 · 📡 eess.SP

Recognition: unknown

Impact of Terrestrial Blockage on the Coverage of Integrated Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

Joon-Young Park , Byungju Lim , Young-Chai Ko

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Pith reviewed 2026-05-14 18:39 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 📡 eess.SP

keywords integrated satellite-terrestrial networksblockage modelcoverage probabilitystochastic geometrydownlink analysisurban propagation6G connectivity

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The pith

Blockages in urban areas raise coverage probability in integrated satellite-terrestrial networks by suppressing interference more than they weaken desired signals.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper builds an analytical framework using stochastic geometry and a Boolean blockage model to quantify downlink coverage in networks that combine satellites with terrestrial base stations. It demonstrates that terrestrial obstacles produce two opposing effects on satellite links: they reduce the strength of the wanted signal yet also limit the total interference arriving from many other transmitters. When these effects are balanced through joint operation of satellite and terrestrial links, the overall probability of successful reception rises in settings that range from open terrain to dense city centers. The result supplies a tractable way to design systems that remain connected under varied blockage conditions.

Core claim

Satellite-terrestrial integration enhances coverage probability across diverse environments ranging from open areas to dense urban deployments by turning terrestrial blockages into spatial shields that reduce aggregate interference while the combined links offset the resulting signal attenuation.

What carries the argument

Stochastic geometry framework with Boolean blockage model that tracks line-of-sight probability for both satellite and terrestrial links and derives the resulting coverage probability expressions.

Load-bearing premise

The Boolean blockage model and stochastic geometry assumptions accurately capture real urban propagation and interference statistics for both satellite and terrestrial links.

What would settle it

Field measurements of downlink coverage probability in a dense urban ISTN deployment compared against the analytical predictions for the same building density and link parameters.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2605.13098 by Byungju Lim, Joon-Young Park, Young-Chai Ko.

**Figure 2.** Figure 2: Coverage probability analysis for satellite networ [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_2.png] view at source ↗

**Figure 4.** Figure 4: Coverage probability of the ISTN, satellite network [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p007_4.png] view at source ↗

read the original abstract

The integration of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) with terrestrial networks (TNs) is an important step toward ubiquitous connectivity in sixth-generation (6G). Despite growing interest, the geometric impact of urban blockages on an integrated satellite-terrestrial network (ISTN) has not been rigorously quantified. In this paper, we develop a stochastic geometry-based analytical framework that incorporates a Boolean blockage model to characterize the downlink coverage probability of the ISTN and to provide insights for blockage-aware system design. Our analysis reveals that blockages affect satellite links in two competing ways: while they attenuate desired signals, they can also act as spatial shields that suppress aggregate interference. Leveraging this observation, we analytically show that satellite-terrestrial integration can enhance coverage probability across diverse environments ranging from open areas to dense urban deployments, offering a resilient and mathematically tractable approach to maintaining connectivity under heterogeneous blockage conditions.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Desk Editor's Note private letter to a colleague

The paper gives a stochastic geometry analysis showing blockages can net-help satellite coverage in ISTNs by cutting interference more than signal, but the independent blockage assumption needs checking.

read the letter

The main thing here is the analytical demonstration that terrestrial blockages create competing effects on satellite links in an integrated network: they reduce desired signal strength but also suppress aggregate interference, leading to coverage gains from integration across open to dense urban settings. The authors apply the Boolean blockage model inside a stochastic geometry framework to derive downlink coverage probability expressions and claim this geometric impact had not been quantified before. That framework and the resulting design insights are the actual contribution, and they deliver a mathematically tractable way to think about blockage-aware 6G NTN-TN systems without relying solely on simulations. The abstract is clear on the competing-effects observation, which is a useful angle for system-level thinking. The soft spot is the treatment of satellite visibility and terrestrial LOS/NLOS as independent thinned processes. Real urban blockages come from the same buildings, so spatial correlation is likely present; the standard separate Boolean model may overstate the shielding benefit when high-blockage zones hit both link types together. Without the full derivations visible in the abstract, it is unclear how much the coverage expressions change once joint realizations are considered. This paper is for researchers who work on analytical coverage models for non-terrestrial networks or stochastic geometry applications in heterogeneous wireless systems. A reader looking for closed-form tools and blockage insights would find it useful. It deserves peer review because the topic is timely, the approach is standard but newly applied, and the modeling choice around independence is concrete enough for referees to evaluate and suggest fixes.

Referee Report

2 major / 3 minor

Summary. The paper claims to develop a stochastic geometry-based analytical framework that uses a Boolean blockage model to characterize the downlink coverage probability of integrated satellite-terrestrial networks (ISTNs). The analysis identifies competing effects of blockages on satellite links—attenuating desired signals while shielding against interference—and concludes that satellite-terrestrial integration enhances coverage probability in environments ranging from open areas to dense urban deployments, providing a resilient approach under heterogeneous blockage conditions.

Significance. If the analytical results hold, the paper provides valuable insights for blockage-aware design in 6G ISTNs by quantifying how blockages can yield net coverage gains through interference suppression in dense settings. The stochastic geometry approach offers mathematical tractability, enabling general expressions for coverage probability that can inform system-level decisions beyond specific simulation scenarios. This is particularly relevant for ensuring ubiquitous connectivity in next-generation networks.

major comments (2)

[Section III (System Model and Blockage Modeling)] The Boolean blockage model applies independent processes to satellite visibility (elevation-dependent thinning) and terrestrial LOS/NLOS conditions. This independence assumption underpins the coverage probability derivations and the net-benefit claim for dense urban environments; shared urban structures induce spatial correlation that could reduce the interference-shielding advantage and change the analytical expressions.
[Section IV (Coverage Probability Analysis)] The analytical demonstration that ISTN integration improves coverage (Section IV) rests on the competing effects of blockage. Without a joint point process for the blockage field, the expressions may overestimate gains when satellite shadowing aligns with terrestrial blockage, which is load-bearing for the conclusion across open-to-dense environments.

minor comments (3)

Add a table listing all simulation parameters (e.g., densities, blockage sizes, path-loss exponents) with their numerical values to support reproducibility of the coverage curves.
Clarify the exact form of the coverage probability expression (e.g., whether it is in closed form or requires numerical integration) in the abstract and introduction for readers unfamiliar with stochastic geometry.
Ensure consistent notation for the Boolean model parameters (rectangle/disk radii, densities) across equations and figures.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive feedback on our manuscript. We have carefully reviewed the concerns regarding the independence assumption in the Boolean blockage model and its implications for the coverage analysis. Below we provide point-by-point responses, and we will incorporate clarifications and additional discussion of limitations in the revised version.

read point-by-point responses

Referee: [Section III (System Model and Blockage Modeling)] The Boolean blockage model applies independent processes to satellite visibility (elevation-dependent thinning) and terrestrial LOS/NLOS conditions. This independence assumption underpins the coverage probability derivations and the net-benefit claim for dense urban environments; shared urban structures induce spatial correlation that could reduce the interference-shielding advantage and change the analytical expressions.

Authors: We thank the referee for highlighting this modeling choice. The Boolean blockage model with independent thinning is adopted as a standard, tractable approximation in stochastic geometry literature to enable closed-form coverage expressions. While we recognize that real urban environments exhibit spatial correlations from shared structures, the independence assumption allows us to isolate and quantify the competing effects of signal attenuation and interference shielding. In the revised manuscript we will add an explicit discussion in Section III on this assumption, its justification via prior works, and a note that correlated models could be explored in future extensions. Our Monte Carlo validations confirm that the derived trends remain representative across the considered environments. revision: partial
Referee: [Section IV (Coverage Probability Analysis)] The analytical demonstration that ISTN integration improves coverage (Section IV) rests on the competing effects of blockage. Without a joint point process for the blockage field, the expressions may overestimate gains when satellite shadowing aligns with terrestrial blockage, which is load-bearing for the conclusion across open-to-dense environments.

Authors: We agree that a joint point process would capture alignment effects more precisely and could moderate the estimated gains in highly correlated scenarios. Under the current independent model, however, the analysis rigorously demonstrates the net coverage benefit through the derived probability expressions, which are further supported by extensive simulations matching the analytical curves. In the revision we will include a remark in Section IV acknowledging this limitation and add sensitivity results from simulations with partial correlation to show that the integration advantage persists, albeit with reduced magnitude in extreme cases. This strengthens rather than undermines the overall conclusion. revision: partial

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity in the analytical derivation

full rationale

The abstract describes a stochastic geometry framework incorporating a standard Boolean blockage model to derive downlink coverage probability for ISTN. No equations are provided in the visible text, and there is no evidence of self-definitional steps, fitted inputs renamed as predictions, or load-bearing self-citations that reduce the central claim to its own inputs by construction. The analysis treats blockages as having competing effects (attenuation vs. shielding) under independent thinning assumptions, which are model choices rather than tautological reductions. The result is presented as derived from the framework rather than presupposed by it.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 2 axioms · 0 invented entities

Based on abstract only: relies on stochastic geometry for network modeling and Boolean blockage model for obstacles. No free parameters, invented entities, or additional axioms are specified in the provided text.

axioms (2)

domain assumption Boolean blockage model accurately represents urban obstacles as random shapes that block line-of-sight
Invoked to characterize signal attenuation and interference suppression in the ISTN coverage analysis.
domain assumption Stochastic geometry assumptions hold for the spatial distribution of satellites, terrestrial base stations, users, and blockages
Used to derive the downlink coverage probability expressions.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5453 in / 1238 out tokens · 44968 ms · 2026-05-14T18:39:48.015011+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Reference graph

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