Virtual channel satellite communication system with improved bandwidth efficiency

A method of satellite communication that allows efficient use of available bandwidth, the method comprising:

• receiving subparts of a channel signal transmitted via subchannels over satellite transponders;
• identifying a user selected channel;
• categorizing the subchannels into a first category and a second category wherein the first category contains subparts needed to reconstruct the user selected channel and the second category contains subparts to be discarded;
• and
• combining the subparts in the first category to reconstruct the channel signal.

A satellite communications system which provides an enhanced digital communication channel, the satellite communications system comprising:

• a multiplexer multiplexing a plurality of channel signals to create a virtual channel;
• a channel splitter coupled to the multiplexer, the channel splitter dividing the virtual channel into a plurality of subparts according to available bandwidth of each of the subchannels and distributing the subparts among subchannels;
• and
• a plurality of uplink transmitters, each of the plurality of uplink transmitters coupled to the channel splitter, the uplink transmitters transmitting the subchannels toward respective satellite transponders.