Use of polygons to specify beam service areas in a satellite communication system

A system to select a beam from satellite beams to communicate with a terminal at a location, the system comprising:

• a satellite coverage area divided into Beam Service Areas (BSAs) for a satellite network, wherein each of the BSAs is associated with a respective beam information;
• a beam selector to select a select BSA from the BSAs based on the location;
• and
• a transceiver to communicate between the terminal and a gateway using a beam,
• wherein the location is located in the select BSA,
• the beam is identified by the respective beam information associated with the select BSA, and
• the BSAs define a boundary having a closed polygon shape, wherein the boundary is not an actual boundary of radio frequency signals defining the beam.