A communications system comprising: radio frequency equipment to generate a forward link configured for wireless transmissions of a base-to-user data stream from a plurality of airborne communications relay platforms to at least one user terminal , wherein said forward link comprises a plurality of relay-to-user links , each one of said plurality of relay-to-user links comprising a relay-to-user radio frequency signal encoded with a different base-to-user data sub-stream ; and wherein the system further comprises: a plurality of base stations in wireless communication with said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over a plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base stations being in wireless communication with one of said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over one or more of the plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base-to-relay links comprising a base-to-relay radio frequency signal encoded with one of said different base-to-user data sub-streams; and a signal coordinator configured to pre-compensate, before the relay-to-user radio frequency signals reach the user terminal , for at least one of a time delay, a phase alignment and a spatial position of said relay-to-user radio frequency signals . radio frequency equipment to generate a forward link configured for wireless transmissions of a base-to-user data stream from a plurality of airborne communications relay platforms to at least one user terminal , wherein said forward link comprises a plurality of relay-to-user links , each one of said plurality of relay-to-user links comprising a relay-to-user radio frequency signal encoded with a different base-to-user data sub-stream ; and wherein the system further comprises: a plurality of base stations in wireless communication with said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over a plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base stations being in wireless communication with one of said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over one or more of the plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base-to-relay links comprising a base-to-relay radio frequency signal encoded with one of said different base-to-user data sub-streams; and a signal coordinator configured to pre-compensate, before the relay-to-user radio frequency signals reach the user terminal , for at least one of a time delay, a phase alignment and a spatial position of said relay-to-user radio frequency signals . a plurality of base stations in wireless communication with said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over a plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base stations being in wireless communication with one of said plurality of airborne communications relay platforms over one or more of the plurality of base-to-relay links , each one of said plurality of base-to-relay links comprising a base-to-relay radio frequency signal encoded with one of said different base-to-user data sub-streams; and a signal coordinator configured to pre-compensate, before the relay-to-user radio frequency signals reach the user terminal , for at least one of a time delay, a phase alignment and a spatial position of said relay-to-user radio frequency signals . <EOS>