Hierarchical downlink scheduler for a processed satellite payload

1. Field of the Invention A downlink scheduler () is provided for scheduling the downlink transmission of data cells in a spot beam processing satellite (). The downlink scheduler () includes a beam selector () for selecting one of the spot beams associated with the satellite (), a plurality of wholesale selectors () for selecting one of a plurality of wholesalers, such that each of the wholesale selectors () is associated with one of the spot beams, and a plurality of retail selectors () for selecting one of a plurality of retail connections, such that each of the retail selectors () 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 () then passes at least one data cell from a selected retail connection to a downlink modulator (), thereby scheduling the downlink transmission of data cells in the satellite.