The architecture of 5G and satellite communications
Let us look at the architecture of satellite communication in the context of 5G networks. We have already learned about three types of satellites:
- Geostationary Earth Orbit (GSO): Some examples include the PanAmSat, Intelsat, and Inmarsat satellite systems
- Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): The Galileo satellite and GPS are some examples.
- Low Earth Orbit (LEO): Starlink, Viasat, Iridium, and Globalsat are some examples.
Figure 16.11 is a diagram of the different types of satellite orbits around the earth. Many of these satellites co-exist with the terrestrial networks to create a 5G satellite-based network.
Figure 16.11 – Satellite orbits
Figure 16.11 shows that GEO satellites cause a latency of 600-800 milliseconds (ms) for the roundtrip. This roundtrip latency drops down to 125-325 ms for MEO, and for LEO, to 30-50 ms. The power needed by end user devices is greater when using GEO...
