Multiple-access techniques for commercial satellites

The unique multipoint interconnection capabilities of satellite communication networks place a burden on the communications system designer to achieve highly efficient transmission capacity in the face of a very wide range of network requirements. The ability of various types of multiple-access systems to meet these requirements is the subject of this paper. INTELSAT, recognizing that the frequency division multiplex-frequency modulation, frequencY division multiple access (FDM-FM-FDMA) method it currently uses has advantages in some applications but is not optimum for the multiple-access environment, has supported the development of two-digital multiple-access communications techniques: single channel per carrier frequency division multiple access (SPADE) and time division multiple access (TDMA). These two techniques are discussed in detail and the paper concludes with a presentation of a promising multiple-access technique of the future which includes time division switching on board the satellite.