Multiple Constellation Terminal and Method Thereof

A method comprising:

• receiving or generating, at a management entity associated with a satellite communication system, at least one information record, wherein the at least one information record corresponds to a service area associated with the satellite communication system;
• receiving, at the management entity, ephemeris data for multiple satellites;
• determining, at the management entity and from the multiple satellites, a subset of satellites corresponding to the information record, wherein all the satellites included in the subset of satellites are associated with a same constellation;
• and
• calculating, at the management entity and based on the at least one information record and at least part of the ephemeris data corresponding to the subset of satellites, a start position and a stop position corresponding to the service area.

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a terminal of a satellite communication system, via a first satellite and at a first point in time, a service area information record corresponding to a service area of the satellite communication system;
• receiving, at the terminal, via a second satellite and at a second point in time, one or more ephemeris data records;
• storing, at the terminal, the service area information record and the one or more ephemeris data records in a memory associated with the terminal;
• determining, at the terminal, at a third point in time, that the terminal is at about the service area;
• selecting, at the terminal and responsive to the determining, from one or more service area information records stored in the memory associated with the terminal, the service area information record corresponding to the service area;
• determining, at the terminal, a constellation identifier associated with the service area in accordance with the constellation identifier included in the selected service area information record;
• selecting, at the terminal, from the stored one or more ephemeris data records, based on the determined constellation identifier, one or more ephemeris data records corresponding to one or more satellites, wherein the one or more satellites are all associated with a constellation of satellites corresponding to the determined constellation identifier;
• calculating, at the terminal, based on the selected one or more ephemeris data records, one or more positions of the one or more satellite, respectively, wherein the calculated one or more positions correspond to a time of interest;
• and
• selecting, at the terminal, from the one or more satellites, a servicing satellite.