US 2026/0019910 A1 · Orbital or Other Non-Terrestrial Base Station Preemption and/or Replacement Upon Terrestrial Base Station Incapacity or Failure

Abstract

A method is disclosed for providing backup network services in a communications network used by mobile terminals such as cellular telephones. The method includes receiving information regarding a terrestrial base station of the communications network and, using a non-terrestrial base station (NTBS) such as an orbiting satellite, detecting an incapacity of the terrestrial base station. The NTBS identifies a second NTBS (e.g., a second satellite) within communications range to provide backup service to the communications network. The second NTBS is then introduced as a new base station of the communications network. The second NTBS can then substitute for the incapacitated terrestrial base station to carry traffic between at least one mobile terminal and the communications network.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for managing network demands in an emerging demand area currently unserved, or currently insufficiently served, by terrestrial base stations, the method comprising:

receiving information regarding terrestrial terminals that are seeking connections to a wireless communications network in the emerging demand area;
using a non-terrestrial base station, detecting an incapacity of terrestrial base stations of a terrestrial network in the emerging demand area;
reporting the incapacity as a lack of capacity in the terrestrial network to serve a wireless network demand in the emerging demand area;
and
alerting network planners that increased demands for wireless service in the emerging demand area are unmet demands, wherein the unmet demands are addressable either with a mobile satellite service or by building additional terrestrial wireless infrastructure to serve the emerging demand area.

2 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, causes the computer system to:

receive information regarding terrestrial terminals that are seeking connections to a wireless communications network in an emerging demand area;
using a non-terrestrial base station, detecting an incapacity of at least one terrestrial base station of a terrestrial network in the emerging demand area;
reporting the incapacity as a lack of capacity in the terrestrial network to serve a wireless network demand in the emerging demand area;
and
alerting network planners that increased demands for wireless service in the emerging demand area are unmet demands, wherein the unmet demands are addressable either with a mobile satellite service or by building additional terrestrial wireless infrastructure to serve the emerging demand area.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Orbital or Other Non-Terrestrial Base Station Preemption and/or Replacement Upon Terrestrial Base Station Incapacity or Failure

Life of this patent

Orbital or Other Non-Terrestrial Base Station Preemption and/or Replacement Upon Terrestrial Base Station Incapacity or Failure

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20