Modeling the contribution of satellite communications

Satellite communications can provide critical augmentations to enhance network survivability. During damage or congestion, satellite communications can provide user-to-user connectivity and access to the public switched network (PSN), and can enhance regional and national network connectivity. To effectively assess the contribution of satellite augmentations, a model must take into consideration the inherent technical characteristics and capabilities of satellite communications. In the same manner, the model must equitably assess other transmission augmentations, such as high frequency (HF) radio and cellular, so that biased results are not realized. The paper discusses the satellite communications model objectives, structure, and scoring