Patent ID: 6529731
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
In a mobile satellite system including a satellite communication switching office and network system having a satellite antenna for receiving and transmitting a satellite message via a satellite and satellite beams to and from feederlink earth stations (FESs) and mobile earth terminals (METs) using a mobile communication system, a satellite interface system, a central controller receiving and transmitting the satellite message to and from the satellite communication switching office, the mobile satellite system being responsively connected to said mobile communication system and comprising:a network operations center (NOC) managing and controlling the resources of the satellite network system and carrying out the administrative functions associated with the management of the network system, the NOC communicating with various internal and external entities via a control network; a first network communications controller (NCC) managing the real time allocation of circuits between METs and FESs for the purposes of supporting communications, available circuits being held in circuit pools managed by group controllers (GCs) within the NCC, the NCC communicating with the NOC via a satellite network internetwork, with FESs via Ku-to-Ku band interstation signaling channels or terrestrial links, and with METs via Ku-to-L band signaling channels; a FES supporting communications links between METs, the public switched telephone network (PSTN), private networks, and other METs, call completion and service feature management being accomplished via in-band signaling over the communication channel following the establishment of such a channel, the FES including a gateway FES providing mobile telephone service (MTS) and mobile telephone cellular roaming service (MTCRS) services, and a base FES providing mobile radio service (MRS) and net radio (NR) services; a customer management information system providing customers and service providers with assistance and information including problem resolution, service changes, and billing/usage data, customers including individual MET owners and fleet managers of larger corporate customers; a network engineering system developing network plans and performing analysis in support of the system including analyzing the requirements of the network, reconciling expected traffic loads with the capability and availability of space and ground resources to produce frequency plans for the different beams within the system, and defining contingency plans for failure situations; a system engineering system engineering the network subsystems, equipment and software which is needed to expand capacity to meet increases in traffic demands and to provide new features and services; a remote monitor station (RMS) monitoring L-band RF spectrum and transmission performance in specific L-band beams, said RMS being nominally located in each L-band beam and interfacing with the NOC via either a satellite or terrestrial link; a system test station (STS) providing an L-band network access capability to support FES commissioning tests and network service diagnostic tests, the STS being collocated with and interfaced to the NOC; a group controller subsystem (GCS) incorporating one or multiple group controllers (GC), each GC maintaining state machines for every call in progress within its control group and allocating and de-allocating circuits for FES-MET calls within each beam of the system, managing virtual network call processing, MET authentication, and providing certain elements of call accounting, the GC providing satellite bandwidth resources to the NOC for AMS(R)S resource provisioning and monitoring the performance of call processing and satellite circuit pool utilization, and performing MET management, commissioning and periodic performance verification testing and database management.