The Advent of Land Mobile Satellite Service Systems

The practicality of providing cellular-type communications service to underserved remote areas of the country is now possible through the use of satellites in geostationary orbit. The advent of high-power, land-mobile satellites, coupled with high-performance, low-cost ground receivers, makes it possible to provide mobile radio, mobile telephone, data communication, and other services to large numbers of rural and suburban users. A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision has allocated L-band (1.5 GHz, 1.6 GHz) spectrum to this service. Even though there is a significant amount of spectrum available at L-band, the expected demand for this service is high and spectral efficient means must be devised to maintain sufficient capacity. Expedient means used to increase capacity, in the absence of additional spectrum, are single channel per carrier, demand assignment multiple access (SCPC-DAMA) with voice, frequency reuse via multiple beams, and orbital reuse by using multiple satellites. Some of the operational, systemic, and technological considerations of the first generation land mobile satellite service (LMSS) that would provide thin-route services to large land masses of North America are considered here.