INMARSAT BROADBAND GLOBAL AREA NETWORK

Dostupna preko Inmarsat I-4 satelitskog sustava, Inmarsat BGAN bit će prva globalna, visoko propusna mobilna mreža za prijenos podataka koja će omogućiti brzi i pouzdan pristup Internetu te korporativnim mrežama s brzinom čak do 492 kbps. Inmarsat BGAN ponudit će prijenos glasa, podataka i „streaming“ te cijeli niz mogućnosti za buduće korisnike. Inmarsat BGAN, za komercijalnu uporabu planiran krajem 2005, prvenstveno će biti namijenjen za korisnike na kopnu, a zatim nakon 2007. za korisnike u pomorstvu i zrakoplovstvu.Delivered over Inmarsat’s I-4 satellite system, Inmarsat BGAN will be the first global, high-speed mobile data network that will serve remote mobile staff with easy-to-use, fast and reliable access up to 492 kbps to the Internet and the corporate intranets. Inmarsat BGAN will offer voice, packet data and streaming and a whole range of services for the future users. Inmarsat BGAN, scheduled for commercial launch at the end of 2005, will initially concentrate on land users and with maritime and aero services being the focus from 2007 onwards

Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Communication Networks for the Maritime Internet of Things: Key Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

With the rapid development of marine activities, there has been an increasing number of maritime mobile terminals, as well as a growing demand for high-speed and ultra-reliable maritime communications to keep them connected. Traditionally, the maritime Internet of Things (IoT) is enabled by maritime satellites. However, satellites are seriously restricted by their high latency and relatively low data rate. As an alternative, shore & island-based base stations (BSs) can be built to extend the coverage of terrestrial networks using fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and beyond 5G services. Unmanned aerial vehicles can also be exploited to serve as aerial maritime BSs. Despite of all these approaches, there are still open issues for an efficient maritime communication network (MCN). For example, due to the complicated electromagnetic propagation environment, the limited geometrically available BS sites, and rigorous service demands from mission-critical applications, conventional communication and networking theories and methods should be tailored for maritime scenarios. Towards this end, we provide a survey on the demand for maritime communications, the state-of-the-art MCNs, and key technologies for enhancing transmission efficiency, extending network coverage, and provisioning maritime-specific services. Future challenges in developing an environment-aware, service-driven, and integrated satellite-air-ground MCN to be smart enough to utilize external auxiliary information, e.g., sea state and atmosphere conditions, are also discussed

Developments in land mobile satellite service in Europe

The evolution of land mobile radio has reached a stage to benefit from satellite communications. The provision of a service on a pan-European basis makes the use of satellites a viable proposition. The paper describes the European position on both system and space segment aspects of the land mobile satellite service. Also, some of the functions of the European institutions, such as the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), and the Commission of European Communities (CEC), in establishing these services are identified

Inmarsat aeronautical mobile satellite system: Internetworking issues

The Inmarsat Aeronautical Mobile Satellite System (AMSS) provides air-ground and air-air communications services to aero-mobile users on a global basis. Communicating parties may be connected either directly, or more commonly, via interconnecting networks to the Inmarsat AMSS, in order to construct end-to-end communications circuits. The aircraft earth station (AES) and the aeronautical ground earth station (GES) are the points of interconnection of the Inmarsat AMSS to users, as well as to interconnecting networks. This paper reviews the internetworking aspects of the Inmarsat AMSS, by introducing the Inmarsat AMSS network architecture and services concepts and then discussing the internetwork address/numbering and routing techniques

Future developments in aeronautical satellite communications

Very shortly aeronautical satellite communications will be introduced on a world wide basis. By the end of the year, voice communications (both to the cabin and cockpit) and packet data communications will be available to both airlines and executive aircraft. During the decade following the introduction of the system, there will be many enhancements and developments which will increase the range of applications, expand the potential number of users, and reduce costs. A number of ways in which the system is expected to evolve over this period are presented. Among the issues which are covered are the impact of spot beam satellites, spectrum and power conservation techniques, and the expanding range of user services

Mobile satellite services: International co-ordination, co-operation and competition

In the context of a discussion of international cooperation, coordination and competition regarding mobile satellite services, it is asserted that: there will be more than one civil mobile satellite service in the 1990's; competition between these separate mobile satellite systems is inevitable; no system should enjoy monopoly protection or subsidies; and coordination and cooperation are desirable and necessary, since the available L-band spectrum is in short supply

International communications satellite systems

Ten satellite systems for international communication are briefly described. Modulation and coding schemes on some of these systems are highlighted

Characteristics of a future aeronautical satellite communications system

A possible operational system scenario for providing satellite communications services to the future aviation community was analyzed. The system concept relies on a Ka-band (20/30 GHz) satellite that utilizes multibeam antenna (MBA) technology. The aircraft terminal uses an extremely small aperture antenna as a result of using this higher spectrum at Ka-band. The satellite functions as a relay between the aircraft and the ground stations. The ground stations function as interfaces to the existing terrestrial networks such as the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN). Various system tradeoffs are first examined to ensure optimized system parameters. High level performance specifications and design approaches are generated for the space, ground, and aeronautical elements in the system. Both technical and economical issues affecting the feasibility of the studied concept are addressed with the 1995 timeframe in mind

MOBILESAT: Australia's own

Australia will be introducing a dedicated Mobile Satellite Communications System following the launch of the AUSSAT-B satellites late in 1991. The Mobile Satellite System, MOBILESAT, will provide circuit switched voice/data services and packet-switched data services for land, aeronautical and maritime users. Here, an overview is given of the development program being undertaken within Australia to enable a fully commercial service to be introduced in 1992

Tragedy of the Regulatory Commons: LightSquared and the Missing Spectrum Rights

The endemic underuse of radio spectrum constitutes a tragedy of the regulatory commons. Like other common interest tragedies, the outcome results from a legal or market structure that prevents economic actors from executing socially efficient bargains. In wireless markets, innovative applications often provoke claims by incumbent radio users that the new traffic will interfere with existing services. Sometimes these concerns are mitigated via market transactions, a la “Coasian bargaining.” Other times, however, solutions cannot be found even when social gains dominate the cost of spillovers. In the recent “LightSquared debacle,” such spectrum allocation failure played out. GPS interests that access frequencies adjacent to the band hosting LightSquared’s new nationwide mobile network complained that the wireless entrant would harm the operation of locational devices. Based on these complaints, regulators then killed LightSquared’s planned 4G network. Conservative estimates placed the prospective 4G consumer gains at least an order of magnitude above GPS losses. “Win win” bargains were theoretically available, fixing GPS vulnerabilities while welcoming the highly valuable wireless innovation. Yet transaction costs—largely caused by policy choices to issue limited and highly fragmented spectrum usage rights (here in the GPS band)—proved prohibitive. This episode provides a template for understanding market and non-market failure in radio spectrum allocation