System Type Frequency Bands Applications Terminal Type/Size System Examples
Fixed Satellite Service

(C & Ku-band)

4/6/ GHz

11/12/14 GHz

video dilevery VSAT
news gathering telephony
1 meter diameter and larger fixed earth station Hughes Galaxy

GE American

Loral Skynet

INTELSAT

Direct Broadcast Satellite 12 GHz direct to-home video/audio .3-.6 diameter fixed earth station DirecTV

Echostar

USSB

Astra

Mobile Satellite (GSO Systems) below 3 GHz voice and low-speed data to mobile terminals laptop computer/antenna vehicular/shipboard mounted INMARSAT

AMSC/ACES

Mobile NGSO

(Big LEOs)

below 3 GHz cellular telephony; data; paging

instant infrastructure

cellular phone, pager or fixed phone booth Iridium

Globalstar

ICO

Mobile NGSO

(Little LEOs)

below 1 GHz position location

tracking

messaging

as small as a pack of cigarettes/omnidirectional antenna ORBCOMM

ESAT

Broadband

GSOs

20/30 GHz Internet Access; voice, video, data 20 cm. fixed Hughes’

Spaceway

Loral Cyberstar

Broadband

NGSOs

20/30 GHz

10/17 GHz

Internet Access; voice, video, data; videoconferencing dual 20 cm. tracking antennas
fixed locations
Teledesic

SkyBridge
(Alcatel/Loral)

Celestri