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Worldwide telecommunications system using satellites

  • US 5,915,217 A
  • Filed: 08/04/1997
  • Issued: 06/22/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a satellite telecommunications network operative in conjunction with an existing terrestrial telecommunications system, a method for operating said satellite telecommunications network to permit subscriber transceivers to roam, comprising the steps of:

  • providing a plurality of satellites in low earth orbit;

    providing a plurality of terrestrial communications gateways that are bidirectionally coupled to the terrestrial telecommunications system;

    providing at least one terrestrial network coordinating gateway;

    providing a plurality of satellite telecommunications system subscriber transceivers each comprising a satellite RF transceiver unit and a control unit coupled to the satellite RF transceiver unit, the control unit having access to a stored identification of the subscriber transceiver;

    bidirectionally coupling, through first satellite links, at least one terrestrial communications gateway to at least one of the plurality of satellites;

    bidirectionally coupling, through the first satellite links, the least one terrestrial network coordinating gateway to at least one of the satellites;

    operating a subscriber transceiver to generate a service request, the service request including the stored identification of the subscriber transceiver and a message for indicating that the subscribertransceiver desires to operate as a roaming subscriber transceiver;

    transmitting the service request from the subscriber transceiver to at least one satellite through second satellite links and, through the at least one satellite, to the at least one terrestrial network coordinating gateway;

    wherein the method further comprises steps, executed by the terrestrial network coordinating gateway, ofreceiving the service request;

    verifying that the subscriber transceiver that transmitted the service request can be authorized to roam in the satellite telecommunications network and, if the subscriber transceiver is authorized,sending an acknowledgement signal from the network coordinating gateway back to the subscriber transceiver through the at least one satellite; and

    updating a network database for the roaming subscriber transceiver.

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