Abstract: A processing system of a user endpoint device including at least one processor may initiate an audio call for the user endpoint device at a location, select a wireless access point type from among a plurality of wireless access point types for the audio call based on at least one of: performance metrics collected by the user endpoint device at the location or performance metrics for the location obtained by the user endpoint device from a remote database, and implement the audio call via the wireless access point type that is selected.

Abstract: In the Internet, a domain can be multi-homed to a first and a second domain by a first path and a second path, respectively. If one of the first or second paths becomes unavailable, a path still remains to communicate with a host attached to the multi-homed domain. However, due to the requirements of IPv6 in relation to allocating addresses to domains, packets received via the remaining path during a communication will not be recognised by the host at a transport layer. Therefore, the present invention overcomes this problem by making use of a dynamic address variation facility of IPv6 used for mobile nodes. The dynamic address variation facility also, advantageously, can act as a replacement for a content switch and can maintain communication of packets to and from the host as a result of a change of IP address of the host caused by, for example, an administrative need to change the IP address of the host.

Abstract: An integrated connection admission control (CAC) and bandwidth on demand control (BoD) system for allocating the resource of a common medium uplink of a multiple access (MA) asynchronous network segment, wherein the CAC allocates static resource to all virtual connections (VCs) or groupings of VCs accepted by the CAC and books dynamic resource to the VCs or groupings of VCs that require guaranteed dynamic resource, and the BoD allocates dynamic resource to VCs or to groupings of VCs requesting dynamic resource in such a way that all VCs or groupings of VCs requesting dynamic resource are dynamically allocated requested dynamic resource up to at least the guaranteed dynamic resource which has been booked for them by the CAC.

Abstract: A border gateway protocol (BGP) management system (10) dynamically determines an optimum or preferred data route (12) from wireline networks (18) into a satellite communication system (11). Multiple gateways (16, 30-34) provide access points to the wireline networks. The management system includes a connectivity matrix which processes (74) information, such as bandwidth availability and route congestion, and then generate a BGP update that is communicated (80) into at least one of the gateways. The BGP update promotes preferred gateways and so identifies a preferred access path to the satellite system. Specifically, the BGP update instruction contains a metric altering a weighting of an identified route data route, which metric effects path selection at a gateway receiving IP datagrams. The metric is derived from information pertaining to a connectivity matrix associated with the satellite system.

Abstract: In a satellite communications system comprising a plurality of access units X communicating with a satellite S on an up-link U and a broadcast downlink B and a plurality of gateways E to and from a network N, wherein each gateway E receives from the satellite S transmissions communicated thereto by the access units X and intended for destinations in the network N, a method of routing transmissions including a gateway E concluding that a transmission received should follow an alternative route via one of the other gateways E, sending an alternative route message to the satellite S which forwards the message using the broadcast downlink B to a plurality of the source gateways E in the system.

Abstract: A communication system having a multiple access segment (2,48), which comprises a plurality of end systems (6,44) and a switching node (4,46) configured such that each end system can transmit packets to the switching node and such that the switching node can transmit packets which are received by all the end systems. The switching node comprises a switch (5,47) for switching packets from the end systems to intermediate destinations within the system, and the MA segment operates in accordance with a protocol which provides a quality of service requested by the end systems for the packets transmitted over the segment.

Abstract: A connectionless communications network includes a number of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite nodes. Motion of the satellites constantly changes the topology of the network. A virtual model of the network having fixed virtual nodes, is maintained in a connection control system. This virtual model is used to control the route that traffic will take through the real network. As topology changes happen in the network then the virtual nodes of the model become embodied by different real nodes and communicate their virtual identity to connected nodes. Routing of the traffic is performed with reference to the virtual network so that routing follows the current embodiment of the virtual network.

Abstract: A satellite packet communications system comprises a number of ground-based sectors serviced via satellite communications nodes in polar orbits. Each sector is provided with an address incorporating a binary Gray code. Routing of a packet arriving at a satellite node and addressed to a particular sector is determined from the Grey code in the packet header. A comparison is performed between the packet address and an address stored in the node, the number and bit position of the difference between the nodes being used to determine the direction in which that packet should be routed.

Abstract: A multiple access asynchronous network segment for providing network access to a plurality of end systems over a shared medium uplink to a satellite headend supported by a network controller, wherein the network controller allocates part of the uplink resource and the satellite headend allocates part of the uplink resource on a temporary basis in response to end systems making a new request for uplink resource. Also provided is a signalling system for use in a multiple access asynchronous network segment for providing network access to a plurality of end systems over a shared medium uplink to an intermediate. Also provided is an Integrated Addressing and packet Segmentation And Reassembly (IASAR) system for use in a multiple access asynchronous network segment for providing network access for a plurality of end systems to an intermediate system over a shared medium.