A system includes a terminal. The terminal includes a terrestrial communication interface, a satellite communication interface and a computer. The terrestrial and satellite communication interfaces are configured to communicate traffic data. The computer is communicatively linked to the terrestrial and satellite communication interfaces. The computer executes instructions comprising, to determine that the traffic data, communicated via the terrestrial communication interface, exceeds a threshold, and based on the determination, to route at least a portion of traffic data via the satellite communication interface in accordance with a predetermined traffic data load-balancing scheme.

The present disclosure relates, in part, to non-terrestrial communication systems, and in some embodiments to the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. Non-terrestrial communication systems can provide a more flexible communication system with extended wireless coverage range and enhanced service quality compared to conventional communication systems. A method representative of aspects of the present application includes receiving, by an apparatus connected in a first sub-system, from a radio access network, configuration information for performing a channel condition measurement on a second sub-system, reporting, by the apparatus to the radio access network, channel condition measurement of a downlink reference signal received from the second sub-system, transmitting, by the apparatus, a wireless transmission to the second sub-system responsive to the channel condition measurement meeting a predefined condition.

A mobile interactive satellite service includes a first satellite, a base station, and a ground station configured to provide respective and distinct first and second multicast content components to the first satellite and the base station. The first satellite communicates the first multicast content component in a first signal to a mobile device. The base station communicates the second multicast content component in a second signal to the mobile device, which can combine the received signals. For another embodiment, a mobile interactive service includes a mobile device, a first base station, a second base station, and a ground station configured to provide a first multicast content component to the first base station and a second multicast content component to the second base station. The first and second multicast content components are distinct, transmitted in respective first and second multicast signals and are combined by the mobile device.

Described herein are systems, devices, and methods that improve network communication on a high-latency network by using a low-latency network to manage return-link bandwidth. Embodiments of the systems described herein include a user terminal that is communicatively coupled to a high-latency network and a low-latency network. The user terminal is configured to communicate with a gateway routing device over the low-latency network. The user terminal requests return-link bandwidth and the gateway routing device provides a transmission schedule to the user terminal over the low-latency network. The user terminal can be configured to transmit a message over the high-latency network using the scheduled return-link bandwidth.

A system for providing mobile interactive satellite services includes a satellite operable to communicate with mobile units, a terrestrial base transceiver station operable to communicate with mobile units, and a ground station in communication with the satellite and the terrestrial base transceiver station to provide mobile interactive satellite services. The mobile interactive satellite services include a multicast component and an interactive component such that the ground station provides both the multicast component and the interactive component using the satellite, with the terrestrial base transceiver station used to provide an ancillary terrestrial component. A device for communicating with a mobile interactive satellite service system includes an antenna, a transceiver coupled to the antenna and operable to communicate with a mobile interactive satellite service system, a user input device, an output device, a processor unit, and a network interface. The processor unit is coupled to the user input device, the output device, and the transceiver such that the processor is operable to output received information from the transceiver using the output device, to receive interactive information from the user input device, and to transmit data based on the received interactive information using the transceiver. The network interface is coupled to the processor such that the processor is operable to side load information.

Methods and apparatuses for communicating in a satellite communication framework with spatial diversity are described. In one embodiment, a method for controlling communication in a satellite communication network having multiple constellations and a satellite terminal with a single electronically steered flat-panel antenna capable of generating a plurality of beams for communication links with multiple satellites, comprises: determining, under network control, availability of a plurality of networks by which network traffic may be exchanged with the single electronically steered flat-panel antenna; and managing, under network control, two or more satellite links between the single electronically steered flat-panel antenna and two or more satellites of different networks to route the network traffic, including determining when to use each of the two or more satellite links, the two or more satellite links being generated using two or more beams from the single electronically steered flat-panel antenna.

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations; and Alternate Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) beacon transmitters positioned on the ground; and LDACS airborne stations. The LDACS airborne station may be configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations, and determine A-PNT information based upon the plurality of A-PNT beacon transmitters.

A method for providing content from a first node to a second node using a satellite communications system includes receiving side information at a gateway in the satellite communications system. The side information may be transmitted from a subscriber terminal to the gateway via a first communication path that includes a satellite link. The method also includes determining at the gateway that the side information is associated with first content available at the first node, and determining at the gateway that second content is available from a source other than the first node. The method also includes generating output content using the second content and the side information. The output content may be substantially the same as the first content. The method also includes providing the output content to the second node via a second communication path that does not include the satellite link.

A system and method for increasing bandwidth utilization of an aggregated path by a mobile terminal, the method including: establishing the aggregated path of communication with the mobile terminal, where the aggregated path includes a first path including a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) path having a first available capacity and a second path including a wireless path having a second available capacity; tracking the first and second available capacities; and updating, upon a movement of the mobile terminal, the first available capacity based on a distance of the mobile terminal from a satellite beam center of a current satellite beam; and selecting, to communicate a packet, one of the first and seconds path based on the first and the second available capacities.

Systems and methods for providing mobility across satellite beams, are described. The system includes a first core node, a second core node in communication with the first core node at layer-2 of the OSI model (L2), and a first gateway in communication, at L2, with the first core, the first gateway configured to provide access to a first spot beam at a first location. The system further includes a second gateway in communication, at L2, with the second core node, the second gateway configure to provide access to a second spot beam at a second location, and a mobile device, at the first location, in communication with the first gateway via the first spot beam, wherein the mobile device is assigned an IP address by the first core node. The mobile device moves from the first location to the second location. Further, the first gateway, in response to the mobile device moving from the first location to the second location, notifies the second gateway, through the first core node and the second core node, that the mobile device is moving to the second location, and transmit the session information to the second gateway, and the second gateway, in response to the notification, maintains connectivity with the mobile device using the IP address.