Embodiments provide ground-based beamforming with mutually synchronized spatially multiplexed gateways in a wireless communications system. Some embodiments operate in context of a satellite having a focused-beam feeder antenna that communicates with multiple, geographically distributed gateway terminals (e.g., single gateway per beam), and a user antenna that provides communications with user terminals via formed user beams. The gateway terminals can communicate feeder signals that are beam-weighted and mutually phase-synchronized (e.g., according to satellite and/or loopback beacons). For example, the synchronization can enable forward uplink signals to be phase-synchronously received by the satellite, and the beam weighting can enable the forward downlink signals to spatially combine to form forward user beams. Embodiments can achieve extensive bandwidth reuse through mutually synchronized spatial multiplexing of the feeder-link communications.

Methods and transceivers transmit communication frames that comprise a sequence of N symbols, ensuing payload header symbols, and ensuing payload message symbols. The sequence of N symbols encodes information according to signal-to-noise ratio associated with the communication frame.

A method for transmitting data from a population of devices to a relay station travelling with respect to one another. For transmitting the data to the relay station, each device includes at least one transmission slot resulting from a channel access method and a transmission window within which the relay station is to travel. The relay station is to broadcast an instruction to the population of devices before the data transmission, and, upon receiving the instruction, at least part of the population of devices is to set a modified transmission slot.

Various arrangements are presented for using an estimated timing advance for user equipment communications. A location of an instance of user equipment may be determined. A first estimated distance between the user equipment and a communication satellite may be determined using the determined location of the user equipment and an estimated satellite location. A second estimated distance between the communication satellite and a communication network gateway may be determined. An estimated timing offset using the calculated first estimated distance and the determined second estimated distance may be determined. An uplink data frame may be transmitted by the user equipment to the satellite such that a timing of transmission of the uplink data frame is based on the calculated estimated timing offset.

A wireless communication system has at least one user-side-device and a base-station. The at least one user-side-device and the base-station are configured to communicate with each other via a satellite applying a timing-advance-value (TA) for synchronizing an uplink of the communication. The base-station is configured to provide the at least one user-side-device with a satellite-connecting-signal concerning an uplink towards the satellite, the satellite-connecting-signal providing configuration information in order to establish and adjust the uplink to the satellite. The at least one user-side-device is configured to perform an adjustment of the timing-advance-value for a pre-compensation of at least one synchronization offset of an uplink in case the at least one user-side-device receives the satellite-connecting-signal, the satellite-connecting-signal including a granting-signal indicating the user-side-device the allowance to adjust the timing-advance-value. Responsive to the granting-signal, the at least one user-side-device is configured to automatically adjust the timing-advance-value for an unlimited time or for a certain period of time, until the at least one user-side-device receives a new TA adjustment configuration.

A multiple-access transceiver handles communications with mobile stations in environments that exceed mobile station design assumptions without necessarily requiring modifications to the mobile stations. One such environment is in Earth orbit. The multiple-access transceiver is adapted to close communications with mobile stations while exceeding mobile station design assumptions, such as greater distance, greater relative motion and/or other conditions commonly found where functionality of a terrestrial transceiver is to be performed by an orbital transceiver. The orbital transceiver might include a data parser that parses a frame data structure, a signal timing module that adjusts timing based on orbit to terrestrial propagation delays, frequency shifters and a programmable radio capable of communicating from the Earth orbit that uses a multiple-access protocol such that the communication is compatible with, or appears to the terrestrial mobile station to be, communication between a terrestrial cellular base station and the terrestrial mobile station.

Various arrangements are presented for using an estimated timing advance for user equipment communications. A location of an instance of user equipment may be determined. A first estimated distance between the user equipment and a communication satellite may be determined using the determined location of the user equipment and an estimated satellite location. A second estimated distance between the communication satellite and a communication network gateway may be determined. An estimated timing offset using the calculated first estimated distance and the determined second estimated distance may be determined. An uplink data frame may be transmitted by the user equipment to the satellite such that a timing of transmission of the uplink data frame is based on the calculated estimated timing offset.

Disclosed is a communication method performed between a satellite and a ground station and apparatuses performing the communication method. The communication method includes transmitting a plurality of frames based on a beam allocation time schedule (BATS) between a satellite and a ground station, and synchronizing the BATS based on a reception time and a detection time of one or more frames among the plurality of frames to be received through a beam open window (BOW) allocated to the ground station.

The present teachings disclose implementations of a UE and a method for providing a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, the method including: receiving an NB-IoT downlink over a forward link; obtaining MAC configuration parameters, a transmit-timing offset and a transmit-frequency offset; pre-adjusting, to align with a return link timing and a return link frequency, a transmit-timing with the transmit-timing offset and a transmit-frequency with the transmit-frequency offset; requesting, based on the MAC configuration parameters and after the pre-adjusting, a connection with a Random-Access Preamble (RAR) over an NB-IoT uplink via the return link; and establishing the connection upon receiving a Random-Access Response (RAR), where a Round Trip-Time (RTT) from a transmitting antenna to a receiving antenna is greater than 67 microseconds (us), and both the NB-IoT downlink and the NB-IoT uplink use a mostly unchanged NB-IoT standard waveform. The NB-IoT service may be relayed by a satellite, for example, a geosynchronous earth orbit satellite. Further corrections to the timing and frequency may be performed on the connection. A cell or beam selection may be based on an NB-IoT system type, including NB-IoT over satellite, indicated in a Master Information Block.

Embodiments provide ground-based beamforming with mutually synchronized spatially multiplexed gateways in a wireless communications system. Some embodiments operate in context of a satellite having a focused-beam feeder antenna that communicates with multiple, geographically distributed gateway terminals (e.g., single gateway per beam), and a user antenna that provides communications with user terminals via formed user beams. The gateway terminals can communicate feeder signals that are beam-weighted and mutually phase-synchronized (e.g., according to satellite and/or loopback beacons). For example, the synchronization can enable forward uplink signals to be phase-synchronously received by the satellite, and the beam weighting can enable the forward downlink signals to spatially combine to form forward user beams. Embodiments can achieve extensive bandwidth reuse through mutually synchronized spatial multiplexing of the feeder-link communications.