DICOM Image Transmission for Satellite Telemedicine over DVB-RCS2 Systems: From RF to Optical Wireless Technologies

This study evaluates the performance of DVB-RCS2 (Digital Video Broadcasting—Return Channel via Satellite 2) satellite systems for the transmission of DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) medical images in telemedicine applications, considering both conventional radio frequency (RF) and advanced optical wireless technologies, including optical wireless communication (OWC) and free-space optics (FSO). A comparative simulation framework is developed to assess transmission quality for both single images and complete datasets using key performance metrics such as bit error rate (BER) and quality factor (Q factor). The results demonstrate that optical wireless systems significantly outperform RF-based systems, with FSO achieving the best performance, followed by OWC, while RF systems exhibit noticeable performance degradation. These findings confirm the significant potential of optical wireless technologies to ensure high reliability and superior quality in satellite-based medical image transmission, particularly in remote and underserved areas.