The present invention relates to satellite systems and more particularly, to the provision of a satellite system and method for communications applications, with global coverage. An optimal method of providing global broadband connectivity has been discovered which uses two different LEO constellations with inter-satellite links among the satellites in each constellation, and inter-satellite links between the constellations. The first constellation is deployed in a polar LEO orbit with a preferred inclination of 99.5 degrees and a preferred altitude of 1000 km. The second constellation is deployed in an inclined LEO orbit with a preferred inclination of 37.4 degrees and a preferred altitude of 1250 km.

Various arrangements for monitoring and enforcing multi-tier throughput assignments in a network, such as satellite-based communication network, are presented. Throughput usage may be monitored on a beam-level, satellite-level, gateway-level, and system level. Throughput usage for individual satellite terminals may be aggregated and used to determine the throughput usage on an entity-by-entity basis. An entity can have one or more sub-entities to which throughput is allocated. Excessive throughput usage for higher-tier entities can result in throughput being restricted for satellite terminals associated with lower-tier entities.

A terrestrial data communication gateway device for satellite communication comprising: at least one processor; memory accessible to the at least one processor; a LPWAN wireless communication subsystem for communication with multiple remote devices; a satellite communication subsystem for communication with at least one low earth orbit satellite. The memory stores program code executable by the processor to cause the processor to: perform server functions in relation to the multiple remote devices, and configure an edge computing module to perform data processing operations on signals received by the LPWAN communication subsystem. The data processing operations comprise compression of data received by the LPWAN communication subsystem to generate a compressed payload for transmission by the satellite communication subsystem. The memory comprises a backhaul scheduling module to schedule communication of a transmission by the satellite communication subsystem to the low earth orbit satellite.

A system and method for transmitting a data stream between a server and a user terminal, comprises at least one satellite gateway associated with a satellite router communicating with at least one satellite terminal associated with a terminal router, wherein the terminal router is configured, when it receives a stream request from a user terminal, to search for it in its memory resources and, if appropriate, transmit it to the user terminal, the satellite router is configured to transmit the request to the server, estimate a popularity of the stream and transmit a message of correspondence between the stream and broadcasting parameters then convert the stream into a point-to-multipoint stream adapted to the broadcasting parameters, the terminal router is configured to convert point-to-multipoint streams into point-to-point streams and transmit them to the user terminals.

A method and apparatus for providing half-duplex communications for a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) operating on a continuous received stream is disclosed. The method includes: decoding the continuous received stream to establish synchronization with the continuous received stream; locating, in the continuous received stream, a time plan including a receiving timeslot and a transmitting timeslot; demodulating the continuous received stream by adapting to a timing and frequency variation of the continuous received stream in the receiving timeslot, freewheeling the adapting of the continuous received stream during the transmitting timeslot, and resuming the adapting of the continuous received stream when the transmitting timeslot ends; stopping a receiving of the continuous received stream during the transmitting timeslot; and transmitting from the VSAT during the transmitting timeslot. The freewheeling includes saving a signal acquisition parameter at the start of the transmitting timeslot and restoring the saved signal acquisition parameter at the end of the transmitting timeslot.

The present invention relates to satellite systems and more particularly, to the provision of a satellite system and method for communications applications, with global coverage. An optimal method of providing global broadband connectivity has been discovered which uses two different LEO constellations with inter-satellite links among the satellites in each constellation, and inter-satellite links between the constellations. The first constellation is deployed in a polar LEO orbit with a preferred inclination of 99.5 degrees and a preferred altitude of 1000 km. The second constellation is deployed in an inclined LEO orbit with a preferred inclination of 37.4 degrees and a preferred altitude of 1250 km.

An aircraft based satellite communication (SATCOM) terminal includes a broadband aperture configured to communicate through non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites for broadband communications, a management aperture configured to receive NGSO satellite management information from a geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite, and at least one processor that performs operations. The operations receive the NGSO satellite management information from the GSO satellite, where the NGSO satellite management information indicates positions and associated time of a set of the NGSO satellites. The operations acquire a second communication link with a second NGSO satellite among the set using the NGSO satellite management information during handoff switching from using a first communication link that was previously acquired with a first NGSO satellite to using the second communication link being acquired with the second NGSO satellite. The operations then perform broadband communications through the broadband aperture and the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite. Related ground-based control centers are disclosed.

A non-geostationary satellite is configured to provide a plurality of spot beams that implement a first frequency plan at Earth's Equator and a second frequency plan away from Earth's Equator. The second frequency plan is different than the first frequency plan. In one embodiment, the non-geostationary satellite is part of a constellation of non-geostationary satellites, with each of the satellites providing spot beams that implement a first frequency plan at Earth's Equator and implement a second frequency plan away from Earth's Equator as the satellites travel in orbit around Earth.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for processing a digital bit stream representative of a communication signal are provided. The method can include dividing, at one or more processors, the digital bit stream into a plurality of data packets, each having an overlap of data from an adjacent packet. The method can include performing a timing recovery operation and a carrier recovery operation on portions of the plurality of data packets in multiple processing blocks in the processor, in parallel. The method can include combining the first plurality and the second plurality based on timing and phase stitching.

A method for transparent on-board routing of data packets at high bit rate is implemented by a telecommunication system comprising an origin transmitting station, a first destination receiving station, a second destination receiving station, and a plurality of at least two satellites. The origin transmitting station segments high bit rate data streams into coded or uncoded packets each having the structure of a coded or uncoded DVB-S2 baseband frame BBFRAME; and the origin transmitting station inserts, for each segmented BBFRAME packet, coded or uncoded, an on-board routing label of a single piece respectively associated with the coded or uncoded BBFRAME packet. The on-board routing label contains an identifier of the destination receiving station associated with the coded BBFRAME packet, out of the first destination receiving station and the second destination receiving station.