Network management system for software defined radio networks for use in mobile networks

A method for managing a satellite network used with mobile remote hosts, the method comprising:

• allocating a plurality of satellite transponders for use in conjunction with the mobile remote hosts, each satellite transponder operating using single channel per carrier (SCPC) transmission to allocate the entire bandwidth of a given frequency channel of a plurality of channels to the network management system;
• transmitting data using at least one ground station in communication with the plurality of satellite transponders, the at least one ground station communicating on at least one of the plurality of channels, using the plurality of satellite transponders, to at least one of the mobile remote hosts;
• setting a single channel per carrier bandwidth available for a particular channel of the plurality of channels at a predetermined maximum;
• dynamically adjusting the single channel per carrier bandwidth allocated to the particular channel of the plurality of channels based upon a present determination of a utilization of the particular channel of the plurality of channels;
• maintaining a database of a plurality of large data sets having portions of the large data sets transmitted to a plurality of remote hosts;
• detecting which of the plurality of remote hosts have which of the portions of the large data sets and which of the portions have not yet been received by the plurality of remote hosts;
• selecting a first of the portions of the plurality of large data sets to be simultaneously transmitted using the plurality of satellite transponders to the plurality of remote hosts using a multicast protocol so as to maximize that the first of the portions of the plurality of large data sets is absent in a largest number of the plurality of remote hosts which are accessible to data transmitted by the plurality of satellite transponders;
• detecting that the remote host is transitioning out of a geographic area serviced by the particular channel;
• selecting a new transponder of the plurality of the satellite transponders;
• transitioning the remote host to the new transponder of the plurality of satellite transponders by instructing the new transponder and the remote host to begin transmission on the new transponder at a predetermined time, providing the remote host with the location of the new transponder so as to adjust an antenna from the at least one of the plurality of satellite transponders to the new transponder, and providing the remote host with a new channel on the new transponder, the new channel being a single channel per carrier transmission;
• and
• acquiring a signal and beginning communication using the new transponder in less than two seconds using the new channel.

Apparatus comprising non-volatile machine-readable storage medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

• allocate a plurality of satellite transponders for use in conjunction with mobile remote hosts, each satellite transponder operating using single channel per carrier (SCPC) transmission to allocate the entire bandwidth of a given frequency channel of a plurality of channels to the network management system;
• transmit data using at least one ground station in communication with the plurality of satellite transponders, the at least one ground station communicating on at least one of the plurality of channels, using the plurality of satellite transponders, to at least one of the mobile remote hosts;
• set a single channel per carrier bandwidth available for a particular channel of the plurality of channels at a predetermined maximum;
• and
• dynamically adjust the single channel per carrier bandwidth allocated to the particular channel of the plurality of channels based upon a present determination of a utilization of the particular channel of the plurality of channels;
• maintain a database of a plurality of large data sets having portions of the large data sets transmitted to a plurality of remote hosts;
• detect which of the plurality of remote hosts have which of the portions of the large data sets and which of the portions have not yet been received by the plurality of remote hosts;
• select a first of the portions of the plurality of large data sets to be simultaneously transmitted using the plurality of satellite transponders to the plurality of remote hosts using a multicast protocol so as to maximize that the first of the portions of the plurality of large data sets is absent in a largest number of the plurality of remote hosts which are accessible to data transmitted by the plurality of satellite transponders;
• and
• detect that the remote host is transitioning out of a geographic area serviced by the particular channel;
• select a new transponder of the plurality of the satellite transponders;
• transition the remote host to the new transponder of the plurality of satellite transponders by instructing the new transponder and the remote host to begin transmission on the new transponder at a predetermined time, providing the remote host with the location of the new transponder so as to adjust an antenna from the at least one of the plurality of satellite transponders to the new transponder, and providing the remote host with a new channel on the new transponder, the new channel being a single channel per carrier transmission;
• and
• acquire a signal and begin communication using the new transponder in less than two seconds using the new channel.