A satellite communication method and a network device are disclosed. A first network device learns of traffics of a plurality of satellite communications link or air interface resources allocated to a plurality of satellite base stations. The first network device sends identification information to a second network device, where the identification information indicates that a traffic of a satellite communications link reaches a specified threshold, or that an air interface resource allocated by a ground station to a satellite base station reaches a specified threshold. The second network device receives an identifier message, determines a to-be-linked satellite base station that has an idle resource, and sends, to the to-be-linked satellite base station, a second message including information about a generated beam of the to-be-linked satellite base station.

It is detected of an interference of a reverse link communication in a feeder link of a communication relay apparatus, which tends to occur when the number of movable aerial-floating type communication relay apparatuses increases in the same area. A communication system comprises a plurality of movable aerial-floating type communication relay apparatuses that respectively include a relay communication station of performing a service-link radio communication with a terminal apparatus, plural gateway stations that respectively perform a feeder-link radio communication with the plurality of the communication relay apparatuses, and a common baseband processing apparatus connected to the plural gateway stations. The baseband processing apparatus detects an interference of the reverse link communication due to an interference wave from a relay communication station of another communication relay apparatus, the interference wave interfering with a signal wave from the relay communication station of the communication relay apparatus connected to the gateway station, based on plural reception signals received by the plural gateway stations.

The present teachings include a method and computing apparatus for triggering synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite, retrieving ephemeris information for the satellite and beam configuration information for the beam, calculating a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information, and adjusting the carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity. In the method, the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

Systems and methods implementing prioritization of network resources in an aeronautical satellite network system, which determines network utilization of a beam of the aeronautical satellite system by a plurality of aircraft using network capacity of the beam, where network demand in the beam indicated by the network utilization is greater than capacity of the beam, share network bandwidth of the beam to the plurality of aircraft based on a service priority factor, where the service priority factor may depend on altitude of the plurality of aircraft in the beam.

A method for operating a satellite, wherein a beam frequency-assignment schedule for the satellite is based on rain fade information. And a communications payload for a satellite that is capable of implementing the changes required by the schedule.

Systems and methods for supporting more flexible coverage areas and spatial capacity assignments using satellite communications systems are disclosed. A hub-spoke, bent-pipe satellite communications system includes: terminals; gateways; a controller for specifying data for controlling satellite operations in accordance with a frame definition including timeslots for a frame and defining an allocation of capacity between forward and return traffic. The satellite communications system may employ a satellite with a feed array assembly and may use on-board beamforming or ground-based beamforming. Beam hopping within timeslots of the frame may be used to provide coverage to different cells in different time periods. The flexible coverage areas may be provided using changes in satellite position, antenna patterns, or beam resource allocations.

Interference in multi-feeder links of a same frequency between an aerial-floating type communication relay apparatus and plural gateway (GW) stations is suppressed. A transmission signal band of a feeder link is divided into plural divided frequency bands, and plural propagation path responses between plural GW stations and an antenna for feeder link of the communication relay apparatus are respectively estimated with respect to each of plural divided frequency bands, by setting a center frequency of the divided frequency band as an estimation frequency, based on a reception result of the pilot signals respectively received from the plural GW stations and separated from each other. A weight for suppressing an interference signal that causes an interference by a transmission signal transmitted from the GW station and received with a directional beam corresponding to another GW station is calculated for each of the divided frequency bands based on the plural propagation path responses. A reception signal received with the directional beam corresponding to the other GW station is multiplied by the weight corresponding to the other GW station and subtracted from the reception signal received with the directional beam corresponding to the other GW station, for each of the divided frequency bands.

An aerial vehicle is described. The aerial vehicle comprises a communications system comprising an antenna and a processor coupled to the antenna, the processor being configured to establish a cellular network for transferring data with a mobile device.

A method for correcting frequency and/or phase in a communication link; a communication network; and a multiplexing and phase compensation unit are disclosed. The method for correcting frequency and/or phase in a communication link comprises receiving at least one reference transmission communicated via a wireless communication link; providing at least one identified characteristic by identifying at least one characteristic of the reference transmission; comparing said identified characteristic with at least one expected characteristic; and correcting a shift in frequency and/or phase of at least one communication signal communicated via the communication link based on a difference between the identified characteristic and the expected characteristic.

A system and method for beamforming includes providing an antenna including feeds, a coverage area including service areas and data streams for each of the service areas; selecting a cluster of M feeds from the feeds; computing, with a GBBF processor (ground based beam former), M×N weights; generating M feed excitations by distributing the N data streams per the M×N weights; switching an array to transfer a respective one of the M feed excitations to a respective one of the M feeds; and beamforming, with the M feeds of the antenna, N beams. In the method, the N beams are each focused on a respective service area of each of the N data streams, the M×N weights improve the transmitting into the respective service area of each of the N data streams, and at least one of the N beams includes a portion of a plurality of the M feed excitations.