The Internet terrestrial network would interface only with the Internet SAC's satellites and, of course, with the Internet. The terrestrial gateways would be simpler and more focused than one might expect, since their skyward interface would be exclusively with the companion satellite network. Thus the gateways could use one simple, fixed, and private protocol and interface architecture. Each of the sites would connect with the Internet in the most expeditious way, depending upon country, location, and direct-line resources. This transorbital interlinking in a single network makes it possible to optimize the allocation of traffic and the system's utilization.
Optical links are also possible, especially for links that are beyond the earth's atmosphere.
Internet SAC satellites would have both routers and switches in order that the point of entry to the Internet might be chosen dynamically, on the basis of traffic patterns and the availability of terrestrial resources in different regions at different times. Access to the Internet SAC's satellites could take place at any orbital level, partly through operational choice by a satellite network provider and partly through the Internet SAC's operational directives. The Internet SAC's inter-satellite links will interlink among themselves with their own private protocol. A full Internet satellite gateway network, owned and administered by an Internet SAC, with access in the sky and private dedicated entry on the terrestrial sphere, offers a most compelling opportunity for the telecommunications world at large. Copyright 1998, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.