Abstract: A mobile-to-mobile peering (M2MP) network is formed by connecting mobile stations (MS's) through peer-to-peer communication and multi-hop routing. Each MS is connectable to a radio access network (RAN) that connects to the Internet, and can function as a border gateway protocol (BGP) router, realizing IP packet communication between each MS and the Internet through the M2MP network and the RAN. Each MS uses a public IP address to directly access the Internet. A combination of using the public IP address and functioning as the BGP router enables each MS to run real-time interactive Internet applications through the M2MP network and the RAN. A MS may be implemented with a public IP server for providing Internet application services to any MS in the M2MP network, maintaining provision of these services to the MS's even if all the MS's cannot connect to the Internet.

Abstract: A mobile mux is a radio communication network (RCN) in which base stations (BS's) networked in a tree topology connect a core network (CN) to user equipments (UEs) by installing a backhaul link at a root BS and having non-root BS's wirelessly communicable with the root BS such that all UEs access the CN without a first burden of installing multiple independent backhaul links for all BS's. The frequency resource allocated to the RCN for communicating with the UEs is reused in inter-BS communication, avoiding a second burden of acquiring an additional frequency resource. Avoiding the two burdens enables faster roll-out of communication services. Furthermore, uplink and downlink data traffics between the CN and the UEs are aggregated and received, respectively, at the root BS, allowing a capacity provided by the single backhaul link to be less than a sum of capacities estimated for the independent links.

Abstract: A traffic demand to be experienced by a base station (BS) at a target time instant is forecasted by obtaining a long-term component of the traffic demand and predicting a short-term component thereof. To predict the short-term component, a service area of the BS is imaged at an observation-making time instant earlier than the target time instant. The number of people captured in the image and located in the service area is determined. The BS collects identifiers of user equipments (UEs), such as media access control (MAC) addresses, to determine the number of UEs present at the observation-making time instant. The short-term component is computed from the number of people and the number of UEs via a mathematical function determined by a genetic algorithm or a machine-learning algorithm according to historical records. The forecasted traffic demand facilitates channel allocation for the BS.

Abstract: A wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) from Space is realized by a satellite system having low or medium earth orbit satellites configured as a multihop communication network. Ground-station-connecting (GSC) satellites in the system are communicable with a ground station (GS) connected to the Internet. An individual satellite is configured to communicate with WLAN mobile stations (MS's) visible to this satellite under a preselected WLAN communication protocol such as WiFi 6, forming the WLAN AP from Space for enabling an individual MS to access the Internet without a nearby terrestrial Internet-connected AP. The WLAN AP from Space is used with a local router on Earth to form a WLAN system. The local router relays data communicated between the AP from Space and terrestrial MS's, and uses an antenna array formed with substantially-spherical body frame with horn-antenna elements mounted and distributed thereon for omni-directional tracking of a satellite.

Abstract: A traffic demand to be experienced by a base station (BS) at a target time instant is forecasted by obtaining a long-term component of the traffic demand and predicting a short-term component thereof. To predict the short-term component, a service area of the BS is imaged at an observation-making time instant earlier than the target time instant. The number of people captured in the image and located in the service area is determined. The BS collects identifiers of user equipments (UEs), such as media access control (MAC) addresses, to determine the number of UEs present at the observation-making time instant. The short-term component is computed from the number of people and the number of UEs via a mathematical function determined by a genetic algorithm or a machine-learning algorithm according to historical records. The forecasted traffic demand facilitates channel allocation for the BS.

Abstract: An antenna array formed by horn-antenna elements perpendicularly mounted on a body frame spherical or hemispherical in shape provides a wide field of view (FOV) of at least 180°. A radio transceiver uses the antenna array instead of a phased array antenna for easily tracking a moving object, e.g., a satellite, due to the wide FOV and for receiving an incoming signal therefrom. To steer an outgoing signal along a desired propagation direction, the transceiver transmits the outgoing signal on a preferred antenna element having a boresight direction closest to the desired propagation direction. The outgoing signal is non-mechanically steered and, in contrast to using the phased array antenna, a power amplifier of the radio transceiver needs not generate component signals satisfying precise relationships in phase and amplitude for beam steering. Thus, the power amplifier is allowed to be operated at a lower power backoff for improving power efficiency.

Abstract: A satellite system has satellites supporting inter-satellite communication to form a multihop communication network; computing servers distributed over the satellites and networked together to form a space-based Internet network; and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routers integrated to the space-based Internet network. Each satellite is installed with a BGP router to locally manage the servers installed in this satellite. Data packets generated by the servers are transmitted from the servers to the BGP router entirely over an in-satellite local area network for carrying out routing of the data packets, lessening a communication burden on inter-satellite communication. The BGP routers also assign autonomous system (AS) numbers to the servers so as to enable the space-based Internet network to function independently without a need for support from a terrestrial Internet network.

Abstract: A satellite system has satellites supporting inter-satellite communication to form a multihop communication network; computing servers distributed over the satellites and networked together to form a space-based Internet network; and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routers integrated to the space-based Internet network. Each satellite is installed with a BGP router to locally manage the servers installed in this satellite. Data packets generated by the servers are transmitted from the servers to the BGP router entirely over an in-satellite local area network for carrying out routing of the data packets, lessening a communication burden on inter-satellite communication. The BGP routers also assign autonomous system (AS) numbers to the servers so as to enable the space-based Internet network to function independently without a need for support from a terrestrial Internet network.

Abstract: Satellites in the direct-to-user Earth observation (EO) satellite system support inter-satellite communication and form a multihop communication network. Each satellite has a radio transceiver with a phased array antenna for directly communicating with a user radio station that issues an EO request of a user. Physical servers are distributed over the satellites and networked to form an in-space computer network that is Internet-enabled. The multihop communication network enables the servers to be mutually communicable. Raw data generated from the EO sensors are processed by the servers to yield desired EO data that meets the user's requirement. Advantageously, the servers set up a user authentication server configured to verify the user identity for determining acceptance or denial of the EO request, and an application server for interacting with the user. Hence, the EO request is entirely handled in Space without involving a terrestrial non-user facility for user authentication and raw-data processing.

Abstract: A satellite communication system between a source and a destination over multiple satellite communications paths including first identifying the link performance established in multiple spectrums, performing a link comparison among the multiple spectrums (for example C-, Ku-, or Ka-Band) in order to determine a spectrum link that provides the highest throughput within an acceptable reliability criteria, and switching among the multiple spectrum links to provide that determined spectrum link between the source and the destination.

Abstract: A multihop network has nodes divided into user nodes, and base stations (BSs) each connected to a core network (CN). Each user node scans a surrounding area by an antenna array to identify a subset of the nodes wirelessly reachable by this user node and connectable to any BS. Node-specific information items determined for each reachable node include a farness value indicating farness in location between the reachable node and the user node. A target reachable node through which the user node communicates is selected and has a lowest farness value among the reachable nodes in the subset. The user node is communicable with a BS directly, or indirectly by multihop communication via the target reachable node, thereby allowing a total number of BSs adequate to support data communication between the CN and all the user nodes to be reduced when compared to non-multihop communication over the same geographical area.

Abstract: A satellite communication system between a source and a destination over multiple satellite communications paths including first identifying the link performance established in multiple spectrums, performing a link comparison among the multiple spectrums (for example C-, Ku-, or Ka-Band) in order to determine a spectrum link that provides the highest throughput within an acceptable reliability criteria, and switching among the multiple spectrum links to provide that determined spectrum link between the source and the destination.

Abstract: A satellite communication system between a source and a destination over multiple satellite communications paths including first identifying the link performance established in multiple spectrums, performing a link comparison among the multiple spectrums (for example C-, Ku-, or Ka-Band) in order to determine a spectrum link that provides the highest throughput within an acceptable reliability criteria, and switching among the multiple spectrum links to provide that determined spectrum link between the source and the destination.

Abstract: A satellite communication system between a source and a destination over multiple satellite communications paths including first identifying the link performance established in multiple spectrums, performing a link comparison among the multiple spectrums (for example C-, Ku-, or Ka-Band) in order to determine a spectrum link that provides the highest throughput within an acceptable reliability criteria, and switching among the multiple spectrum links to provide that determined spectrum link between the source and the destination.