HEO or GEO?

The effectiveness of highly elliptical orbit (HEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) in providing a satellite platform for the delivery of mobile multimedia content in Europe are discussed in this paper. ONDAS has conducted extensive studies comparing the merits of GEO and HEO-based systems for the delivery of satellite-based mobile multimedia in Europe, and finds that, for a European service, the economic model of the GEO-based solution is quite simply just not as cost-effective as a HEO-based system. In this paper the elevation angles that would be seen by a mobile user in London for a three satellite HEO constellation is presented. The benefits are illustrated, which shows typical satellite shadowing effects at European latitudes caused by urban development and foliage for both GEO- and HEO-based solutions, and illustrates that significant improvement in signal quality and reception achieved by the HEO satellites