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; and a satellite including: pathways; at least one LNA, an output of which is for coupling to a pathway and to amplify uplink beam signals in accordance with the allocation; and at least one HPA, an input of which is for coupling to the pathway and to amplify downlink beam signals in accordance with the allocation, and wherein the frame definition specifies at least one pathway as a forward pathway for at least one timeslot and as a return pathway for at least one other timeslot in the frame.

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.

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and a LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a network controller configured to operate the LDACS ground stations and LDACS airborne stations at different transmission powers to define an LDACS underlay network and an LDACS overlay network. The LDACS underlay network may have a larger cell size than the LDACS overlay network. Portions of the LDACS underlay network may be installed prior in time to portions of the LDACS overlay network.

A method for performing a handover operation includes using one or more processors of a non-terrestrial node to initiate communication with a first terrestrial node of a network, the terrestrial node having a first unique node identifier and a cell identifier and store a mapping that associates the first unique node identifier with the cell identifier. The method also includes using the one or more processors to receive an indicator that the mapping is subject to change and update the mapping to associate a second unique node identifier of a second terrestrial node of the network with the cell identifier based on the received indicator.

A system includes a satellite communications terminal including a computer programmed to provide communications for user devices with a destination network. The computer detects a physical state or change in a physical state specified as a trigger to transfer the communications for the user devices with the destination network from a satellite communications channel to a cellular communications channel. Upon detecting the trigger event, the computer establishes a communications link with a cellular device and provides communications for the user devices with the destination network via the cellular device and the cellular communications channel.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to enabling a user terminal (UT) to obtain information about nearby cells and any beams generated by nearby cells. For example, a network can send a neighbor cell list to UTs, where the list identifies the cells in that neighborhood and provides information about any beams generated by those cells. Thus, a UT can learn the neighboring beams/cells that the UT can reselect to if the current beam/cell becomes weak. In some aspects, the UE can learn the attitude (e.g., pitch, roll, yaw, or any combination thereof) profile of neighboring satellites as well as the pointing angles and the ON-OFF schedules of their beams. In some aspects, the UT can learn a start angle and a span for a satellite and use this information to identify a satellite the UT can reselect to if the current beam/cell becomes weak.

A method for recognizing an unmanned aerial vehicle, applied to a source base station, includes: determining a target base station to which user equipment (UE) is to be handed over and a handover mode of the UE based on a measurement report reported by the UE; determining second signaling based on first signaling corresponding to the handover mode, the first signaling being signaling for requesting handover sent by the source base station, and the second signaling including indication information indicating that the UE requesting handover is a UAV; and sending the second signaling.

A system and method for beam switching by a User Terminal (UT). The method includes initiating a beam switch between an old beam and a new beam when the UT is disposed in an overlap area of the old beam and the new beam; duplicating over the new beam, at a Network Access Point (NAP), user traffic to the UT; and assigning a Time Division Multiplex Access (TDMA) allocation for the UT on the new beam, prior to an arrival of the UT on the new beam, where the user traffic traversing a satellite network remains uninterrupted during the beam switch and the NAP redirects user traffic for the UT via the old beam to the new beam.

According to an example embodiment, a client device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least ne processor, cause the client device to: detect need for random access, random access, in a non-terrestrial network to a target cell of the non-terrestrial network; identify whether the needed random access is intra-satellite or inter-satellite; in response to the needed random access being intra-satellite, perform a first random access procedure, wherein, in the first random access procedure, the client device transmits a random access preamble and a payload data in a single message; and in response to the needed random access being inter-satellite, perform a second random access procedure wherein, in the second random access procedure, the client device transmits a random access preamble and a payload data in separate messages. A client device, a network node device, methods and computer program products are disclosed.

Aspects relate to delay management techniques to handle delays introduced by high latency links in non-terrestrial networks for non-access stratum (NAS) mobility management and session management procedures. The NAS timers within the user equipment (UE) and core network utilized for mobility management and session management procedures may be configured with different durations, such as a normal duration, an extended duration, or a reduced duration, based on whether the UE is connected to a terrestrial or non-terrestrial radio access network (RAN), one or more capabilities of the UE, and/or the various RAN types (e.g., terrestrial or non-terrestrial) within a registration area that the UE is located in.