Satellite Communications in the 21st Century: Trends and Technologies

Satellite communications have been in service for more than 40 years and represent by far the largest space industry, with annual revenues now at $30 billion a year and over 35,000 employees worldwide. Satellite technology may be viewed by some as a mature market, but this book will explore many exciting new technologies and services yet to be developed. A new demand for advanced Internet and IP services, entertainment, and multicasting services as well as advanced applications related to multimedia, telecommuting, etc., are the driving forces behind new satellite and communications research and development.

This book challenges the conventional view of the future of satellite communications in terms of technology and services. The text includes not only detailed descriptions for near-term trends but also descriptions of far-future trends.

Although this book addresses very advanced technology and applications, it does not contain a large amount of equations or technical jargon. College students at the graduate and undergraduate level and professionals in the field will gain an understanding of how future projects in space communications will unfold. Business executives and other telecommunications and networking personnel who are interested in monitoring future trends will be interested in this book as well.

Much of the content was originally written or presented at professional conferences, but the book also includes new material developed especially for this volume. This book will give readers many hints and insights for future development of satellite communications.