Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) and other satellite services into the 21st century

As we approach the end of the 20^th century, satellite´s domination of international communications is increasingly giving way to terrestrial technologies, mainly optical fibre cable. However, it continues to offer cost-effective domestic satellite solutions for sparse low-density areas, including speech, data, and TV/radio, in addition to VSAT applications, the latter mainly aimed at fixed business communications. As to mobile satellite, INMARSAT has been the lead network operator since its inception in the early 1980s, offering maritime, aeronautical and special land-based applications (such as trucking). By 1997/8, IMARSAT remained the main global operator offering a host of `messaging´ (handheld terminals) and `speech/slow-data´ services. However, major new ventures are now being set up, aiming to offer Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) around 1999-2000. This paper gives an overview of the main competing systems and their respective addressable market segments, outlines the main hurdles to actual service commencement, and concludes with some background on MSS/GMPCS integration approaches within IMT-2000 (and UMTS)