| 摘要 |
<p>A wireless telephone system capable of servicing a roaming wireless telephone user includes a satellite communications system consisting of at least one orbiting satellite; at least one terrestrial-based gateway having access to a database of users, destination codes (telephone numbers); a network coordinating gateway within a satellite service area; a network control center; and a plurality of terrestrial communications links. The system operates by effecting communication between a terrestrial wireless telephone end user transceiver apparatus and a terrestrial communications link via a single relay through a single satellite or a succession of single relay satellites wherein the relay station may be in motion relative to the end user transceiver apparatus and the terrestrial communications link. The ground-based gateway effects the ultimate decision on linking in cooperation with the network database to effect hand-off from a first orbiting satellite to a second orbiting satellite. The single satellite or preferably a constellation of satellites orbiting near the earth need only translate signals from the gateways to the users and from the users to the gateways without satellite-based control. The gateways are capable of decoding the calls, switching, processing call requests from the end users, processing call requests to the end users, processing call set-ups, handing off of calls to other satellites, and updating databases of users based on information provided by network control and requests from end users. <IMAGE></p> |
