Integrated telecommunications system providing fixed and mobile satellite-based services

An integrated telecommunications system comprising:

• at least one satellite in geosynchronous orbit over a geographical region;
• a plurality of user terminals distributed at fixed locations in the geographical region, two-way user links being provided to the user terminals by the at least one satellite;
• a satellite cellular telephone network that includes a satellite cellular telephone having a number that is also associated with a user terminal;
• a plurality of gateway stations distributed in the geographical region, two-way access links being provided to the gateway stations by the at least one satellite, at least one of the gateway stations including
• at least one antenna;
• a mobile switching center (MSC) coupled to a terrestrial network;
• a gateway station controller (GSC) coupled to the MSC and to the at least one antenna, the GSC providing control signals which drive the at least one antenna to route a call to the number through the at least one satellite to either the user terminal or the satellite cellular telephone;
• and
• a network control center (NCC) that controls the at least one satellite, bandwidth and power of the at least one satellite being allocated by the NCC to provide the user links and the access links.