Method, apparatus, and system for designing and planning a shared satellite communications network

A method for planning a satellite network comprising steps of:

• containing embedded equations in a spreadsheet application operating on an industry-standard operating system;
• prompting a user to enter data via the spreadsheet;
• receiving the data as input to the embedded equations;
• processing the input using the embedded equations to determine a network design that describes components of a physical layer of a satellite network comprising at least one hub terminal, at least one satellite, and at least one remote terminal;
• and
• displaying the network design.

A computer-implemented satellite network planning system, comprising:

• an industry-standard operating system;
• a spreadsheet application containing embedded equations including a user interface operating on the industry-standard operating system;
• means for prompting a user to enter data via the spreadsheet;
• means for receiving the data as input for the embedded equations;
• means for processing the input using the embedded equations to determine a network design that describes components of a physical layer of a satellite network comprising at least one hub terminal, at least one satellite, and at least one remote terminal;
• and
• a display configured to display the network design.

A computer program product storing program instructions for execution on a computer system, which when executed by the computer system configures the computer system to operate as a computer-implemented satellite network planning system comprising:

• a spreadsheet configured to contain embedded equations and receive data that is used as input for the embedded equations, said spreadsheet being an application that runs on an industry-standard operating system, said spreadsheet including a user interface configured to prompt a user to enter the data as predetermined network parameters but not display the embedded equations;
• a processor configured to execute the embedded equations using the data input via the user interface;
• and
• an output unit configured to display a final network design that describes components of a physical layer of a satellite network comprising at least one hub terminal, at least one satellite, and at least one remote terminal.