Title: Satellite Link Design.

Introduction:

Communications through Satellite Technology is one of the major radio systems which are
used as a long-distance transmission network. Artificial Earth’s Satellites act as repeater
stations in the deep space (normally about 36,000 km above the surface of the earth). A long-
distance network through satellite link is designed and established through GEO satellites.

Objective:

The objectives of this experiment are to

 estimate the earth station-satellite-earth station link budget,
 consider both single carrier and multi-carrier per transponder,
 analyze based on specific parameters for carrier modulation, satellite and earth station.

Theory and Methodology:

Long-Distance Network through Satellite Technology
The used frequencies for long-distance network through satellite link are in C-band (6-4 GHz),
and Ku band (14-12 GHz). The geostationary orbit is now employed for most commercial
satellites because of the following advantages:

 The satellite remains stationary with respect to one point on earth. Therefore, the earth
station antenna is not required to track the satellite periodically. Instead, the earth station
antenna beam can be accurately aimed toward the satellite by using the elevation angle
and the azimuth angle. This reduces the station's cost considerably.
 With a 5° minimum elevation angle of the earth station antenna, the geostationary
satellite can cover almost 38% of the surface of the earth.
 Three geostationary satellites (120° apart) can cover the entire surface of the earth with
some overlapping, except for the polar regions above latitudes 76°N and 76°S, assuming
a 50 minimum elevation angle.
 The Doppler shift caused by a satellite drifting in orbit (because of the gravitational
attraction of the moon and the sun) is small for all the earth stations within the
geostationary satellite coverage. This is desirable for many synchronous digital systems.
The following figures show respectively a basic satellite in system level and link level.

The transmitting earth station transmits the carrier s(t) whose power is simply the EIRP of the
carrier given by

EIRP=Pt G t (8.1)

where Pt is the carrier power at antenna feed, and Gt is the transmit antenna gain.

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 Figure 7.1: Basic satellite system.

Figure 7.2: Basic satellite link.

We assume that the transmission occurs under clear-sky conditions, and that the only attenuation
the carrier s(t) suffers is the uplink free space loss, the atmospheric attenuation and the antenna
tracking loss. The uplink free space loss is given by
2
4 π du
Lu = ( )
λu
(8.2)

where
du = uplink slant range (m)
λu = uplink wavelength (m)
fu = uplink carrier frequency (Hz)
c = speed of light = 3 x 108 m/s

If su(t) is the carrier received at the satellite, and n u(t) is the AWGN with zero mean that
contaminates the uplink carrier su(t), then the received carrier plus noise at the satellite is su(t)
+ nu(t). Taking satellite antenna gain as Gu, the uplink carrier power is

C u=E [ s2u ( t ) ]
 ( EIRP)G u
¿
Lu L
2
EIRP c
¿
L (
4 π f u du
Gu ) (8.3)

where E[·] denotes the expected value, and L is the sum of the antenna tracking loss and
atmospheric attenuation. Note that the uplink signal received by the satellite and the downlink
signal received by the earth station are very weak and affected by the ever-present AWGN.

The uplink noise power is given as

N u=E [ n2u (t ) ]
¿k TuB (8.4)

where
Tu = satellite system noise temperature (K) and can be calculated from the noise temperature of
the satellite antenna (which is about 290 K since the antenna always sees a hot earth)
B = noise bandwidth of satellite channel (Hz)
k = Boltzmann's constant = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K .

Hence, the uplink carrier-to-noise ratio is

Cu
( CN ) = N
u u

( EIRP ) G u 1
¿ ( )( )
Lu L T u kB
EIRP c 2
Gu 1
¿
L ( ) ( )( )
4 π f u du T u kB
(8.5)

The parameter Gu/Tu is the satellite antenna gain-to-noise temperature ratio. Note that the
EIRP
carrier power flux density, Ω= , so
4 π d 2u L
C EIRP c 2
Gu 1
N u( )
=
L (
4 { pif u
du¿
) ( )( )
T u kB
(8.6)

So that the uplink carrier-to-noise ratio can be calculated if either the carrier EIRP is given, or
the power flux density at the satellite is given. Recall that the received carrier plus noise at the
satellite is su(t) + nu(t). This carrier-plus noise is amplified and down converted by the satellite
communications receiver down converter and then amplified again by the satellite TWTA and
retransmitted back to earth by the satellite antenna.
Denote the retransmitted carrier-plus-noise by sˆu t   nˆ u t which possesses the same carrier-
to-noise ratio (C/N)u given before as the received carrier plus noise su(t) + nu(t). Let EIRPs be the
satellite EIRP (or power) of the retransmitted carrier sˆu t  , that is C ^ u=E [ ^s2u ( t ) ] =EIR Ps

. Then the power of the accompanied uplink noise nˆ u t is

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The received carrier plus noise at the receive earth station is sˆ t   nˆ t   nd t where sˆ t 
and nˆ t are the attenuated versions of sˆu t  and nˆ u t  respectively, and nd(t) is the
additional independent downlink AWGN with zero mean that further contaminates sˆ t After
taking into account the free space loss Ld, the antenna tracking loss and the atmospheric
attenuation on the downlink L', and the receive antenna gain G of the earth station, the power of
the carrier sˆ t  at the receive earth station is

where
dd = downlink slant range (m)
fd = downlink carrier frequency (Hz)
L' = antenna tracking loss and atmospheric attenuation
G = receive antenna gain of the earth station

The power of the accompanied uplink noise nˆ t  appearing on the downlink is

The downlink noise power is given as

N d =E [ n2d ( t ) ]
¿ kTB (8.7)

where T = earth station system noise temperature (K) and can be evaluated as follows where T =
Ts.
Denote Ts is the noise temperature of a noise source, located at the input of a noiseless receiver,
which gives the same noise power as the original receiver, measured at the receiver output. The
equivalent noise source Ts is usually located at the input to the receiver, replacing the antenna.
The noise power at the demodulator input is

Pn=k T s BG (8.8)

where G is the gain of the receiver from RF input to demodulator input. The antenna delivers a
signal power Pr to the receiver at the input to the RF section. The signal power at the
demodulator input is PrGr.

The carrier-to-noise ratio at the demodulator is given by

To calculate the System Noise Temperature, the noisy devices in the receiver are replaced by a
single noise source with temperature Ts. Thus amplifiers and frequency converter are noiseless.
The total noise power at the output of the IF amplifier is given by

Figure 8.3: Earth station receiver.

Figure 8.4: Equivalent circuit of receiver. The noisy amplifiers and down-converter have
been replaced by noiseless units, with equivalent noise generators at their inputs.
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 Noiseless amplifier

Figure 8.5: Equivalent circuit of receiver. All noisy units have been replaced by one
noiseless amplifier, with a single noise source Ts as its input.

GIF, Gm, and GRF are the gains of the IF amplifier, mixer, and RF amplifier, and TIF, Tm, and TRF
are their equivalent noise temperatures. Tin is the noise temperature of the antenna, measured at
the receiver input. Rewriting the equation as

A single source of noise, with noise temperature Ts, would generate the same noise power Pn
at the output of the IF amplifier.

Note that succeeding stages of the receiver contribute less and less noise as the gain from
each stage is added in. Frequently, the noise contributed by the IF amplifier and later stages
can be ignored. Thus the composite noise power at the receive earth station is

The carrier-to-noise ratio of the overall satellite link (uplink and downlink) is therefore
given as follows.
Let

By comparing ( CN ) to ( CN ) it is seen that ( CN ) is simply the downlink carrier-to-noise ratio, and

d u d
the familiar parameter G/T is the antenna gain-to-noise temperature ratio of the receive earth
C C
station. Substituting, ( ) ( )
N d
into
N u
yields the link carrier-to-noise ratio.

The above equation provides the fundamental analysis of a satellite link where the satellite
transponder is a classical frequency translating repeater. In this type of satellite transponder the
uplink noise adds directly to the downlink noise, and the uplink is said to be coupled to the
downlink.

In link analysis, the carrier EIRP, or its power flux density Ω at the satellite and the satellite
EIRP for the retransmitted carrier are normally given with respect to the operating point of the
transponder TWTA. The operating point where the TWTA output power is maximum is called
the saturation point. In many cases the TWTA is operated below the saturation point to avoid
nonlinear distortions, especially when there are many carriers per transponder (more than one),
to reduce the power of the generated inter-modulation products that act as interference signal.
BOi implies the difference between the input power level of a single carrier, which makes a
satellite transponder saturated, and that of an actual operating point.

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 Figure 7.5: TWTA Characteristics on Link Analysis.

Figure 7.6: TWTA Characteristics on Link Analysis.

Let BOi and BOo be the input and output back-offs of the TWTA, respectively, which are
defined as
EIR P saturated
BO i = (8.9)
EIRP
Ωsaturated
Or, BOi =
Ω

EIR P s , saturated
And BO o= (8.10)
EIR P s

Here,
EIRPsaturated = carrier EIRP required to saturate satellite TWTA
Ωsaturated = saturation power flux density
EIRPs,saturated = satellite saturation EIRP
BOo = f (BOi) and is a nonlinear function of BOi.

Hence, employing these factors,

The uplink and downlink carrier-to-noise ratios in dBs are

Simulation and Result:

Simulation Procedure:

As aforementioned, using those formula and equations, estimate the earth station-satellite- earth
station link budget. Consider both single carrier and multi-carrier per transponder for the link budget
estimation and carryout an analysis how multi-carrier scenario affects the link performance.
Following are parameters that considered as an example scenario to design and estimate the satellite
link performance.

Case 1: Single carrier per transponder operation

Number of carriers per transponder is 1.

Carrier modulation parameters

 Single-carrier-per-transponder operation at 14/12-GHz
 Band and Noise bandwidth is 46 MHz

Satellite parameters
 Antenna gain-to-noise ratio is -1.6 dB/K
 Satellite saturation EIRPs is 44 dB W
 Satellite TWTA BOi is 11 dB
 Satellite TWTA BOo is 6 dB

Earth station parameters

 Transmit antenna gain is 57.6 dB
 Receive antenna gain is 56.3 dB
 Carrier power fed to antenna is 174 W
 Maximum uplink and downlink slant range is 37,506 km
 System noise temperature Ts is 160 K
 Uplink tracking loss is 1.2 dB
 Downlink tracking loss is 0.9 dB

Note that we neglect other interferences such as interference into or from adjacent satellite,
terrestrial interference, etc., and any influence by the atmosphere.

Case 2: Multi-carrier per transponder operation

Number of carriers per transponder is 100. Find the followings using MATLAB simulator.

1. For uplink
a. Carrier EIRP
b. Free space loss

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 c. Satellite Gu/Tu
d. Uplink carrier-to-noise ratio, (C/N) u

2. For downlink
a. Free space loss
b. Earth station G/T
c. Downlink carrier-to-noise ratio, (C/N)d

3. For total link

a. Total link carrier-to-noise ratio, (C/N) total

MATLAB Code:

% Satellite Link Design

% PART I: DEFINE PARAMETERS
%I.1: Carrier modulation parameters
%transponder operation at 14/12-GHz Band
%Noise bandwidth is 46 MHz
carrier_freq_uplink=14*10^9; % in Hz
carrier_freq_downlink=12*10^9; % in Hz
%I.2:Satellite parameters
%satellite system noise temperature (K)
Temp_uplink_sat=290; % in K
%Satellite Antenna gain-to-noise ratio is -1.6 dB/K
gain_to_noise_sat_dB=-1.6; % in room temperature
%Earth station antenna G/T = 34.3 dB/K
gain_to_noise_earth_dB=34.3; % in room temperature
%Boltzmann's const. = -228.6 dBW/K/Hz
k_boltz_dBW=-228.6;
%Noise bandwidth = 75.6 dB-Hz
noise_BW_uplink_dB=75.6;
noise_BW_downlink_dB=75.6;
%I.3:Earth station parameters
%Transmit antenna gain is 57.6 dB
gain_tx_dB=57.6;
gain_tx_abs=10^(gain_tx_dB/10);
%Receive antenna gain is 56.3 dB
gain_rx_dB=56.3;
gain_rx_abs=10^(gain_rx_dB/10);
%Carrier power fed to antenna is 174 W
power_tx=174;
power_tx_dB=10*log10(174); % in dBW
%Maximum up and downlink slant range is 37,506 km
dis_earth_sat=37506000; % in meter
%System noise temperature Ts is 160 K
%Uplink tracking loss is 1.2 dB
track_loss_uplink_dB=1.2; % in dB
%Downlink tracking loss is 0.9 dB
track_loss_downlink_dB=0.9; % in dB
% I.4:Satellite TWTA Characteristics
% Consider that for multiple carrier per transponder
% Number of Carriers per transponder is 100
% TWTA BO(input) is 10 dB
% TWTA BO(output) is 5 dB
% I.5: others
%Neglect other interferences such as interference into or
from adjacent
%satellite, terrestrial interference, etc. and any
influence by the atmosphere.
%II.6: Find the followings using MATLAB simulator for both
single carrier and
%multiple carrier per transponder operations
%II.6.1:For uplink
%Carrier EIRP
%Free space loss
%Satellite Gu/Tu
%(C/N)u
%II.6.2:For downlink
%Free space loss
%Earth station G/T
%(C/N)d
%(C/N)total
% PART II: SIMULATION INSTRUCTIONS
%Case 01: Single carrier per transponder
disp(' ')
disp('Case 01: single carrier per transponder')
disp(' ')
% Earth-Satellite Uplink Design
%01: Carrier EIRP
EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW=power_tx_dB+gain_tx_dB; % in dBW
%02: uplink free space loss
up_loss=(4*pi*carrier_freq_uplink*dis_earth_sat)/(3*10^8);
uplink_FS_loss_abs=(up_loss)^2;
uplink_FS_loss_dB=10*log10(uplink_FS_loss_abs); % in dB
%03: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio
loss_uplink=track_loss_uplink_dB+uplink_FS_loss_dB;
k_B_uplink=k_boltz_dBW+noise_BW_uplink_dB;
C_N_uplink_dB=EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW-
loss_uplink+gain_to_noise_sat_dB-k_B_uplink;
C_N_uplink_abs=10^(C_N_uplink_dB/10); % in absolute value
disp(['01:carrier EIRP in dBW =
',num2str(EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW)])
disp(['02:uplink free space loss in dB =
',num2str(uplink_FS_loss_dB)])
disp(['03:uplink carrier-to-noise ratio =
',num2str(C_N_uplink_abs)])
disp(['04:uplink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB =
',num2str(C_N_uplink_dB)])
% ........................................................
..............
% Satellite-Earth Downlink Design
5
%.........................................................
..............
%04: satellite EIRP (or power)
EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW=44; % in dBW
%05: downlink free space loss
down_loss=(4*pi*carrier_freq_downlink*dis_earth_sat)/
(3*10^8);
downlink_FS_loss_abs=(down_loss)^2;
downlink_FS_loss_dB=10*log10(downlink_FS_loss_abs); % in
dB

%06: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio

loss_downlink=track_loss_downlink_dB+downlink_FS_loss_dB;
k_B_downlink=k_boltz_dBW+noise_BW_downlink_dB;
C_N_downlink_dB=EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW-
loss_downlink+gain_to_noise_earth_dB-k_B_downlink;
C_N_downlink_abs=10^(C_N_downlink_dB/10); % in absolute
value
disp(['04:satellite EIRP in dBW =
',num2str(EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW)]);
disp(['05:downlink free space loss in dB =',
num2str(downlink_FS_loss_dB)])
disp(['06:downlink carrier-to-noise ratio =
',num2str(C_N_downlink_abs)])
disp(['07:downlink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB =
',num2str(C_N_downlink_dB)])

% Earth-Satellite-Earth Total link Design

% 07:Total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth) carrier-

to-noise ratio
C_N_link_abs=(1/((1/C_N_uplink_abs)
+(1/C_N_downlink_abs)));
C_N_link_dB=10*log10(C_N_link_abs); % in dB

disp(['08:total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth)

carrier-to-noise ratio = ',num2str(C_N_link_abs)])
disp(['09:total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth)
carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = ',num2str(C_N_link_dB)])
% Analysis of the satellite link
disp('10:satellite characteristics: ')
if C_N_uplink_abs>C_N_downlink_abs
disp('satellite is downlink limited')
else
disp('satellite is uplink limited')
end
disp(' ')
disp(' ')

%>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
%Case 02: Multi-carrier per transponder
disp('Case 02: multiple carriers per transponder')
disp(' ')
%>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
%satellite TWTA operating characteristics
TWTA_BO_input=10; % in dB
TWTA_BO_output=5; % in dB
% 100 carriers per transponder
number_carrier=100;
% ........................................................
..............
% Earth-Satellite Uplink Design
%.........................................................
..............
%08: per Carrier EIRP
EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW_multiple=power_tx_dB+gain_tx_dB-
10*log10(number_carrier); % in dBW
%09: per Carrier EIRP(saturated)
EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW_saturated_multiple=EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW
_multiple+TWTA_BO_input; % in dBW

%10: uplink free space loss

up_loss=(4*pi*carrier_freq_uplink*dis_earth_sat)/(3*10^8);
uplink_FS_loss_abs=(up_loss)^2;
uplink_FS_loss_dB=10*log10(uplink_FS_loss_abs); % in dB

%11: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio

loss_uplink=track_loss_uplink_dB+uplink_FS_loss_dB;
k_B_uplink=k_boltz_dBW+noise_BW_uplink_dB;
C_N_uplink_dB_multiple=EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW_multiple-
loss_uplink+gain_to_noise_sat_dB-k_B_uplink;
C_N_uplink_abs_multiple=10^(C_N_uplink_dB_multiple/10); %
in absolute value

disp(['11:carrier EIRP in dBW =

',num2str(EIRP_carrier_tx_dBW_multiple)])
disp(['12:uplink free space loss in dB =
',num2str(uplink_FS_loss_dB)])
disp(['13:uplink carrier-to-noise ratio =
',num2str(C_N_uplink_abs_multiple)])
disp(['14:uplink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB =
',num2str(C_N_uplink_dB_multiple)])

% Satellite-Earth Downlink Design

%12: satellite EIRP (or power) is 44 dB W
EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW_multiple=44-10*log10(number_carrier); %
in dBW

%Satellite saturation EIRPs (saturated)

5
EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW_saturated_multiple=EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW_multi
ple+TWTA_BO_output; % in dBW

%13: downlink free space loss

down_loss=(4*pi*carrier_freq_downlink*dis_earth_sat)/(3*10
^8); downlink_FS_loss_abs=(down_loss)^2;
downlink_FS_loss_dB=10*log10(downlink_FS_loss_abs); % in
dB

%14: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio

loss_downlink=track_loss_downlink_dB+downlink_FS_loss_dB;
k_B_downlink=k_boltz_dBW+noise_BW_downlink_dB;
C_N_downlink_dB_multiple=EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW_multiple-
loss_downlink+gain_to_noise_earth_dB-k_B_downlink;
C_N_downlink_abs_multiple=10^(C_N_downlink_dB_multiple/10)
; % in absolute value
disp(['15:satellite EIRP in dBW =
',num2str(EIRPS_sat_tx_dBW_multiple)])
disp(['16:downlink free space loss in dB =
',num2str(downlink_FS_loss_dB)])
disp(['17:downlink carrier-to-noise ratio =
',num2str(C_N_downlink_abs_multiple)])
disp(['18:downlink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB =
',num2str(C_N_downlink_dB_multiple)])
%.........................................................
...........
% Earth-Satellite-Earth Total link Design
%.........................................................
.............
% 15: Total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth)
carrier-to-noise ratio
C_N_link_abs_multiple=(1/((1/C_N_uplink_abs_multiple)
+(1/C_N_downlink_abs_multiple)));
C_N_link_dB_multiple=10*log10(C_N_link_abs_multiple); % in
dB
disp(['19:total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth)
carrier-to-noise ratio =
',num2str(C_N_link_abs_multiple)])
disp(['20:total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth)
carrier-to-noise ratio in dB =
',num2str(C_N_link_dB_multiple)])

% 16: Analysis of the satellite link

disp('21:satellite characteristics: ')

if C_N_uplink_abs_multiple>C_N_downlink_abs_multiple
disp('Satellite is downlink limited')
else
disp('Satellite is uplink limited')
end
Result:

Case 01: single carrier per transponder

01: carrier EIRP in dBW = 80.0055

02: uplink free space loss in dB = 206.8463
03: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio = 216.7277
04: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 23.3591
04: satellite EIRP in dBW = 44
05: downlink free space loss in dB =205.5074
06: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio = 308.5026
07: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 24.8926
08: total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth) carrier-to-noise ratio = 127.2986
09: total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth) carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 21.0482
10: satellite characteristics:
satellite is uplink limited

Case 02: multiple carriers per transponder

11: carrier EIRP in dBW = 60.0055

12: uplink free space loss in dB = 206.8463
13: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio = 2.1673
14: uplink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 3.3591
15: satellite EIRP in dBW = 24
16: downlink free space loss in dB = 205.5074
17: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio = 3.085
18: downlink carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 4.8926
19: total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth) carrier-to-noise ratio = 1.273
20: total satellite link (earth-satellite-earth) carrier-to-noise ratio in dB = 1.0482
21: satellite characteristics:
Satellite is uplink limited

Report Question Answer:

1. Explain why different carrier frequencies are used for uplink and downlink.
Answer:
The uplink frequency is the frequency which is used for transmission of signals from earth
station transmitter to the satellite. The downlink frequency is the frequency which is used for
transmission of signals from the satellite to the earth station receiver. It says basically the power
at ground stations is more as compared to power available at satellites. So generally, frequency
for uplink is kept higher than the downlink. There is greater attenuation due to rain when the
signal frequency is high. So, downlink is also kept at lower frequency.

2. If the satellite is operated on 6/4 GHz, estimate the satellite link budget. Now compare
the result with the result found from 14/12 GHz. From the result, explain the effect of
carrier frequency on the satellite link performance.
Answer:

For 14/12 GHz MATLAB code results,

5
For 6/4 GHz MATLAB code results,
From these results we can say that both single & multiple carriers per transponder’s uplink &
downlink free space loss for 14/12 GHz is higher than 6/4 GHz. In other cases, on the satellite
link performance for 14/12 GHz is less than 6/4 GHz.

3. How many geostationary satellites are needed to cover the whole world?
Answer: According to Satellite Signals, there are 402 satellites in geosynchronous orbit. At
geosynchronous orbit, the “ring” around Earth can accommodate a number of satellites 1,800
altogether, according to one analysis by Lawrence Roberts, published in the Berkeley
Technology Law Review. Since four satellites must be visible from any point on the planet and
the satellites are arranged into six orbital planes, the minimum number of satellites needed to
provide full coverage at any location on Earth is 24.

4. Depict a typical mobile-satellite communication link.

Answer: A typical satellite link involves the transmission or up linking of a signal from an Earth
station to a satellite. The satellite then receives and amplifies the signal and retransmits it back
to Earth, where it is received and reamplified by Earth stations and terminals. Mobile Satellite
Communication is a technology that is used to transfer the signals from the transmitter to a
receiver with the help of satellites. Satellite services include fixed satellite service, broadcasting
satellite service and mobile satellite service. Mobile satellite service (MSS) is the term used to
describe telecommunication services delivered to or from the mobile users by using the
satellites. Mobile Satellite Communication is the communication system of Mobile satellite
service (MSS). Classification of Mobile Satellite Communication Geostationary Earth Orbit
(GEO) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO).
5. Do you think that for short distant communication, it is desirable to use mobile-satellite-
mobile link than terrestrial mobile communication link?
Answer: Mobile Satellite Communication is a technology that is used to transfer the signals
from the transmitter to a receiver with the help of satellites. Satellite services include fixed
satellite service, broadcasting satellite service and mobile satellite service. Mobile satellite
service (MSS) is the term used to describe telecommunication services delivered to or from the
mobile users by using the satellites. A terrestrial communication system, facilitating audio,
video, data, and any other type of communication within a local geographical area, and with an

5
extremely large number of communication channels being made available simultaneously at a
very low cost. In a satellite link delay from earth to satellite to earth is about 240ms while in
terrestrial link it will be far less. But transmission cost in a satellite system is independent of the
distance within the area of coverage of the satellite antenna, while in terrestrial system it varies
based on the distance. Terrestrial television uses a network of transmission towers to relay the
signal across the country. Satellite television broadcasts uses satellite in the sky. The broadcast
signal is sent to the satellite and you receive a signal via a satellite dish. Hence, for short distant
communication, it is desirable to use mobile-satellite mobile link than terrestrial mobile
communication link.

Discussion and Conclusion:

References:

[1] K. M. Ahmed “AT77.15: Satellite Communications” Lecture notes, August 2010, Asian
Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.
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