Method for fade mitigation in a satellite communication network

In a satellite communication system comprising a central hub and plurality of remote terminals, a method of fade mitigation comprising:

• employing a multi-layered return channel using at least two time-frequency layers configured to simultaneously overlap in frequency and time to create a multi-layered three dimensional return channel;
• selecting a first time-frequency layer symbol rate (Rs1) to match an expected remote terminal transmission capability under clear-sky conditions, wherein transmission capability is the maximal signal to noise ratio (SNR) at which a remote terminal may be received for a given timeslot type if the remote terminal is to transmit at maximal allowed power;
• and
• selecting a second time-frequency layer symbol rate (Rs2), wherein Rs1 equals N times Rs2 for at least the purpose of providing fade protection, in dB, of 10 times the decimal logarithm of N (10*Log(N)).

In a satellite communication system comprising a central hub and plurality of remote terminals, a method for allocating timeslots within a multi-layered return channel, comprising:

• determining a first allocation period, the first allocation period corresponding to a period of time during which timeslots of the multi-layered return channel are to be allocated to the plurality of remote terminals;
• calculating the total available capacity during said first allocation period, based on a number of timeslots in the multi-layered return channel within the first allocation period;
• distributing the total available capacity against pending capacity requests from remote terminals and determining the number of timeslots to allocate against each pending capacity request;
• for each remote terminal, determining the total number of timeslots distributed to said remote terminal in said first allocation period corresponding to all its pending capacity requests;
• selecting a most suitable layer within said multi-layered return channel for satisfying the pending capacity requests of a first remote terminal during the first allocation period;
• and
• allocating the determined number of timeslots distributed to the first remote terminal during the first allocation period using the selected layer.

A central hub device configured to operate in a satellite communication system comprising a plurality of remote terminals, the central hub device comprising one or more processors having memory coupled thereto, the memory comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the central hub device to:

• create a multi-layered three dimensional return channel using a plurality of time-frequency layers that simultaneously overlap in frequency and time,
• wherein each time-frequency layer includes a plurality of channels, and all channels in any single time-frequency layer have the same symbol rate,
• wherein each time-frequency layer has a different symbol rate, and wherein the different symbol rates of the different time-frequency layers relate to one another by a factor of N, wherein N is a natural number, and
• wherein each time-frequency layer includes the same number of timeslots.