A method comprising transmitting signals to one or more communications devices within a radio coverage area provided by infrastructure equipment, the infrastructure equipment forming either part of a non-terrestrial network of a wireless communications network and wherein the radio coverage area forms a spot beam of the non-terrestrial network, or part of a terrestrial network and wherein the radio coverage area is a cell of a terrestrial network, wherein the transmitting the signals includes transmitting signalling information indicating that one or more neighbouring coverage areas to the radio coverage area provided by the infrastructure equipment are either formed by a spot beam of a non-terrestrial network, a spot beam of the non-terrestrial network of which the infrastructure equipment forms part, a cell of a terrestrial network or a cell of the terrestrial network of which the infrastructure equipment forms part.

Apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for facilitating on-demand ephemeris and beam information requests are disclosed herein. An example method for wireless communication at a UE includes transmitting a request for requested information, the requested information including one or more of system information and satellite information. The example method also includes receiving a response message based on the request, the response message including one or more of: an NTN system information block, satellite information associated with at least one requested communication satellite, and beam information associated with the at least one requested communication satellite.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method in which a processing system determines a set of edge locations for the network, each including a satellite antenna for communicating with a satellite of a satellite system and a transceiver for ground-based communications on the network. The method also includes analyzing content to be placed at an edge location; placing the content at the edge location for distribution over the network, configuring the network in accordance with the placing the content, and distributing the content over the network; the distributing includes transmitting the content to a satellite of the satellite system. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Various arrangements are presented for optimizing data transmission between a satellite and a user equipment. A satellite gateway system may receive a message from the user equipment indicative of a current location of the user equipment. Data may be retrieved from the Internet to be transmitted to the user equipment via the satellite. The satellite gateway system may transmit a downlink message to the satellite that comprises the retrieved data and beam steering data. The beam steering data may instruct the satellite to target a downlink spot beam on the current location of the user equipment based on the message received from the user equipment. The retrieved data may be transmitted to the user equipment via the targeted downlink spot beam.

Systems and method for supporting a fractionated satellite constellation are disclosed. A gateway satellite may route communications to and from auxiliary satellites using a first communication protocol. The auxiliary satellites may be orbitally-coupled with the gateway satellite and may be equipped with respective payload types that provide respective functionalities. The auxiliary satellites may also use respective communications protocols that are different than one another and the first communication protocol. Routing communications to and from auxiliary satellites may include relaying a communication between multiple auxiliary satellites. Routing communications between auxiliary satellites may include relaying a communication between multiple gateway satellites. Routing communications to and from auxiliary satellites may also include relaying communications between commercial satellites and auxillary satellites.

A space-based communications network (100) includes at least one central ground station (116) having a transceiver that is configured to communicate with satellites, such as cube satellites (110). The cube satellites (110) form an ad hoc network of orbital cube satellites, in which each of the cube satellites (110) communicate with each other. One of the cube satellites communicates with the ground station (116). A ground-based control system (1000) communicates with the central ground station (116). The control system (1000) continuously determines a configuration of the ad hoc network (100) and communicates network control information for the cube satellites (110) to maintain communications in the ad hoc network (100). The cube satellites (110) disseminate the network control to each other via the ad hoc network (100).

In one embodiment, a method comprises: receiving a signal from a remote antenna at first and second antennas, the first and second antenna being collocated and offset from one another by a fixed predetermined angle such that a center of a high gain region of a main lobe of the first antenna is substantially aligned with a low gain region of a main lobe of the second antenna; determining a set of characteristics of the signal based on the signal being received at the first antenna; decoding a first data set based on the signal being received at the first antenna and a second data set based on the signal being received at the second antenna, both using the set of signal characteristics; and determining a currently aimed direction of the first antenna with relation to the remote antenna based on the difference between the first and second data sets.

A method for operating a user equipment (UE) comprises receiving system information including: information corresponding to location coordinates for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway; information corresponding to a processing delay between the UE and a base station (BS); and information corresponding to a reference point location; determining a timing advance based on a timing difference between the reference point location and the BS; and transmitting a timing advance report based on the determined timing advance.

Ocean-based gear equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) shares position to either single or multiple users. Position data from an ocean-based device are sent either to a cloud-hosted database or vessel transceiver, then displayed on either a mobile app via multiple login accounts, a vessel-mounted GPS plotter that is capable of sharing data over the internet, or a satellite-connected mobile device capable of receiving and displaying Short Message Service (SMS) messages or emails. The Vessel Transceiver device is designed to share data from gear to vessel via radio frequency, as well as vessel to vessel via satellite network, without internet connectivity. Position data are provided to either one user or multiple users on the ocean or on land via various communication arrangements.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for determining a set of communication parameters for receiving data transmissions. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a first data transmission sent according to a first communication parameter scheme that includes at least one of a first modulation or a first coding. A second data transmission is received. A second communication parameter scheme of the second transmission is determined. This determination includes identifying a subset of multiple candidate communication parameter schemes determined based on the first communication parameter scheme, identifying, in the second data transmission, a first identifier that corresponds to the second communication parameter scheme, comparing the first identifier to a respective identifier for each communication parameter scheme in the subset, and determining, as the second communication parameter scheme, a communication parameter scheme in the subset that has an identifier that matches the first identifier.