Satellite communications with multiple classes of terrestrial terminal devices

A method of operating a communications satellite, the method comprising:

• storing, in a memory associated with a communications controller of the communications satellite, a plurality of terminal attribute sets, each terminal attribute set specifying terminal characteristics used in communicating with a corresponding class of terrestrial terminal devices;
• receiving, via a main antenna system of the communications satellite configured to send communications to and receive communications from one or more terrestrial terminal devices in a satellite communications network, a terminal class identifier from an active terrestrial terminal device;
• identifying, from among the stored terminal attribute sets, a particular terminal attribute set as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device;
• and
• controlling the communications satellite to communicate with the active terrestrial terminal device using signals conforming to the terminal characteristics specified in the particular terminal attribute set identified as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device;
• wherein the terminal characteristics include at least one of forward error correction rates, and permitted signal bursts per time slot or frame.

A communications satellite comprising:

• a main antenna system configured to send communications to and receive communications from one or more terrestrial terminal devices in a satellite communications network;
• and
• a communications controller having a memory storing a plurality of terminal attribute sets, each terminal attribute set specifying terminal characteristics and satellite antenna equipment used in communicating with a corresponding class of terrestrial terminal devices including an antenna gain-to-noise temperature attribute, an equivalent isotropically radiated power attribute, and one or more supported digital modulation schemes for carrier signals for the corresponding class of terrestrial terminal devices, the communications controller configured to:
• receive, via the main antenna system, a terminal class identifier from an active terrestrial terminal device;
• identify, from among the stored terminal attribute sets, a particular terminal attribute set as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device;
• and
• control the communications satellite to communicate with the active terrestrial terminal device according to the antenna gain-to-noise temperature attribute, the equivalent isotropically radiated power attribute, and a particular one of the supported digital modulation schemes for carrier signals specified in the particular terminal attribute set identified as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device;
• wherein the terminal characteristics include at least one terminal characteristic selected from the group consisting of isotropically radiated power levels, receive antenna gain-to-noise temperature ratios, supported uplink and/or downlink carriers, forward error correction rates, permitted signal bursts per time slot or frame;
• and different permitted frequency assignments.