Prospects for satellite mobile radio services for Europe in the 1990s

Growing interest in the potential of satellite mobile services in offering facilities complementary to those provided by the pan-European cellular radio network has stimulated a number of in-depth studies into possible system architectures. These activities are now coming together in a co-ordinated European programme and this paper summarizes the service opportunities which are emerging and some of the major technical issues which must be addressed in preparation for viable commercial operations.