Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating with an Internet Of Things (IoT) device via a satellite link. The method includes assigning a transmission mode to a physical channel, where the physical channel supports multiple timeslot durations and the transmission mode is selected from a single user (SU) or a multi-user (MU); selecting a timeslot duration from the multiple durations for a payload; obtaining, when the transmission mode is SU, a timeslot grant for use of the physical channel for the timeslot duration; and transmitting a burst including the payload, where the burst is transmitted synchronized with the timeslot grant when the transmission mode is SU and the burst is transmitted without synchronization when the transmission mode is MU.

Abstract: Half tone offset may be utilized to mitigate signal distortion caused by DC bias within OFDM-based systems. In addition a cyclic prefix may be utilized within an OFDM-based system to mitigate inter-symbol-interference. Presented herein are techniques and methods to efficiently apply a cyclic prefix to an OFDM symbol with a half tone offset.

Abstract: An efficient return channel spectrum utilization technique for communication systems supporting adaptive spread spectrum. Requests for bandwidth allocation using a spread factor are analyzed to determine if there are any channels capable of supporting the spread factor. The request is acknowledged if at least one channel is capable of supporting the request. Adjacent channels required to accommodate the requested spread factor are reserved, and additional bandwidth requests are allocated on non-reserved channels.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for improving communication throughput despite periodic blockages. In some implementations, a method includes receiving, by a receiver and from a transmitter, code blocks transmitted according to a first set of communication parameters that includes one or more first interleaver parameters used to interleave information in the code blocks prior to transmission. Corrupted portions of at least some of the received code blocks are identified. A blockage duration and a blockage interval of a blockage of communication channel between the transmitter and the receiver are determined based on the corrupted portions of the received code blocks. A second set of communication parameters that includes one or more second interleaver parameters are determined based on the blockage duration and blockage interval.

Abstract: Various arrangements are presented for optimizing data transmission between a satellite and a user equipment. A satellite gateway system may receive a message from the user equipment indicative of a current location of the user equipment. Data may be retrieved from the Internet to be transmitted to the user equipment via the satellite. The satellite gateway system may transmit a downlink message to the satellite that comprises the retrieved data and beam steering data. The beam steering data may instruct the satellite to target a downlink spot beam on the current location of the user equipment based on the message received from the user equipment. The retrieved data may be transmitted to the user equipment via the targeted downlink spot beam.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for synchronizing timing for a terminal in a satellite communication system. Upon detecting a service interruption, first timing markers are extrapolated from timing information received prior to the service interruption. Second timing markers are also extrapolated from timing information received subsequent to the service interruption. Timing for the terminal is then synchronized with the gateway based on a timing difference between the first timing markers and the second timing markers.

Abstract: A satellite communication system and method for resizing an outroute carrier from a gateway to a terminal population including determining, at the gateway, an insufficiency based on an Uplink Power Control (ULPC) function in conjunction with an Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) function failing to maintain the outroute carrier in operation; and downsizing, at the gateway based on the insufficiency, the outroute carrier by decreasing a symbol rate of the outroute carrier from the gateway while maintaining the aggregate carrier output power level to increase an outroute carrier margin, where the insufficiency is based on a fade. The outroute carrier may be upsized when the insufficiency expires or is reduced.

Abstract: A method and system for improving link performance for a user terminal (UT) in a satellite network is disclosed. The method including: providing a first beam servicing a first service area that is adjacent a second service area serviced by a second beam; transmitting, from the first service area, a transmission via the first beam to a receiver via a satellite; beamforming the first beam and the second beam at the receiver; extracting the first beam and a remnant signal of the first beam from the second beam; and processing the first beam and the remnant signal to receive the transmission, wherein the remnant signal may include a portion of the transmission received by a second beam antenna of the satellite.

Abstract: The present teachings include a method and computing apparatus for triggering synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite, retrieving ephemeris information for the satellite and beam configuration information for the beam, calculating a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information, and adjusting the carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity. In the method, the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

Abstract: A method and system for service management of a complex network including: computing, at a computer, a weather impact score for geographic areas within a coverage area of a satellite; predicting, based on the weather impact score for each of the geographic areas, a degradation of at least one of the satellite links serving a respective geographic area; and sending a notification about the degradation. The method may include calculating, with a computer, a peak Quality of Service (QoS) for each of the satellite links; aggregating, for a duration, transmission errors to calculate an actual QoS for each of the satellite links; and displaying a drill-down dashboard comprising a color-code for each of the satellite links, wherein the color-code corresponds to a severity of a respective discrepancy between a respective peak QoS and a respective actual QoS of a respective satellite link.

Abstract: A low-profile array and a low-profile radiating element including: a stripline feed layer; a High Order Floquet (HOFS) part layer; and a radome layer in direct contact with the HOFS part layer, where the HOFS part layer is disposed between the stripline feed layer and the radome layer, and the radome layer includes a high dielectric constant (dk) environmentally robust material.

Abstract: The present teachings disclose a multibeam satellite system and methods that can achieve orthogonality between spatially multiplexed signals in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration when operating in line-of-sight (LOS) uplink and downlink channels on the feeder link side, using essentially a common spot beam. The teachings maximize a MIMO capacity across multiple frequency bands by disclosing an antenna array geometry for disposition on-board a single satellite and for a ground segment.

Abstract: Various arrangements for a satellite-based forward link overlay are presented herein. In some embodiments, broadband data is modulated at a particular frequency, phase, and/or timing to create a broadband data signal. The frequency, phase, and/or timing are used to modulate a low-bandwidth data signal. The low-bandwidth data signal can then be combined with the broadband data signal and transmitted via satellite to a geographic region. A low-bandwidth receiver unit may determine the frequency, phase, and/or timing from the embedded broadband signal and use such information to demodulate and despread the low-bandwidth data signal.

Abstract: A system and method for predicting rain fade for a rain zone using a deep learning system including a computer processor. The method may include: training a Neural Network (NN) by importing into the NN a training set of image information and beacon information, wherein the image information includes image datasets including of a cloud view of an Area of Interest (AoI), a geolocation and a timestamp, and the beacon information includes beacon datasets including a beacon strength, a current rain fade state, a geolocation and a timestamp; pre-processing to homogenize and to extract spatially and temporally matching data for the AoI from a live image information and a live beacon information; and forecasting a rain fade based on the data in a near-future. In the method, the geolocation of one or more of the beacon datasets is located within the AoI, and the periodicity of the live beacon information and the live image information is less than or equal to five (5) minutes.

Abstract: Various arrangements for increasing a transfer rate of a data transfer via satellite are presented. A satellite gateway may set an accelerated set of communication parameters that control communication between the satellite gateway and the satellite terminal via the satellite and between the satellite gateway and the content source to an accelerated transfer rate between the content source and the satellite terminal. A first set of data may be transferred from the content source to the satellite terminal using the set of communication parameters. After transferring the first set of data, the satellite gateway may adjust the initial set of communication parameters to an adjusted set of communication parameters. The adjusted transfer rate can be lower than the accelerated transfer rate.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for using a bandwidth (BW) allocation in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network. The method includes filling a buffer having a buffer length with a demand-inducing stream data until either the demand-inducing stream data is exhausted or the buffer length equals the BW allocation, determining a leftover BW as the BW allocation minus the buffer length after the filling, composing a leftover buffer when demand-deferring stream data is present, where the leftover buffer includes a transmission header (TH) and a transmission data (TD) includes a portion of a demand-deferring stream data, and transmitting the buffer and the leftover buffer in a time slot associated with the BW allocation. In the method, a length of the TH plus a length of the TD is less than or equal to the leftover BW.

Abstract: A system and method for Time Division Multiplexing a signal for a beam hopping relay including generating the signal by interleaving first multi-variable length SuperFrames (VLSFs) with second multi-VLSFs; and transmitting the signal to the beam hopping relay. In the method, the first multi-VLSFs includes at least one first VLSF, the second multi-VLSFs includes at least one second VLSF, each of the first multi-VLSFs has a duration of a first dwell period, each of the second multi-VLSFs has a duration of a second dwell period, each of the at least one first VLSF and each of the at least one second VLSFs includes at least one SuperFrame unit (SFU). Further, the first dwell period is an integral multiple of the first duration, the second dwell period is an integral multiple of the second duration, and the first duration is different than the second duration.

Abstract: A method for balancing inroute traffic load that contains both guaranteed QoS and best effort traffic. Hierarchical grouping levels are defined with the lowest level corresponding to inroutes within the system. Certain levels have common symbol rates, modulation rates, or both. When a new terminal requires admission, it is assigned to entries in the different hierarchical levels so that the inroute traffic load across all levels are balanced. Terminals are admitted to inroutes based, in part, on their channel quality indicator. Inroute traffic load can periodically rebalance based on elapsed time or terminal redistribution.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for optimizing selection of data cap limited service plans. A model is created in order to predict bandwidth usage by existing subscribers in a satellite communication system. The model is trained with usage data for all subscribers of the satellite communication system over a predetermined time interval, and used to analyze usage patterns of each subscriber. Bandwidth usage is predicted for each subscriber relative to an existing service plan based, at least one recommendation is generated for optimizing use of bandwidth in the satellite communication system based on the analysis and predicted bandwidth usage.