Satellites offer clear advantages with respect to cable networks: the architecture is scalable; the diffusion throughout the land is wide; the bandwidth availability is high, in particular in the Ka-band, and often less affected by congestion than terrestrial networks; satellite links are often private lines, unlike submarine and overland networks.

As a consequence, there is increasing commercial interest to use satellites in modern telecommunications. Some satellite operators invest spatial resources to operate on markets with a great growth potential as Latin America. A GEO satellite may have a key position also to guarantee an intercontinental backbone network and a satellite may cover from the East Coast of the USA and Latin America, to Europe, Middle East and Central Asia.

Applications over the future satellites are a key point for the development of future technology. The should not be limited to the Internet (or to the present Internet) but also include new environments. The competitive advantage is both the interactivity and the possibility of building networks and services adapted to the different needs. From tele-learning to managing activity of the Public Administration, from bank and financial services to industrial activity located remotely. Many industries have open peripheral offices in East Europe and Far East and have the need to guarantee the continuity of the productive processes. As a consequence, small “light” specifically dedicated “all satellite” networks may be built to join the main site with the peripheral units.

In the same time, the strong commercial interest towards satellite communications is balanced by the costs and by the satellite network characteristics that amplify many problems already existing in terrestrial networks. The Quality of Service (QoS) issue is only an example of particular relevance in the satellite environment, involving the study of architectures, protocols, access schemes, management, propagation, antennas. Differently from cables in terrestrial networks, satellite channels vary their characteristics depending on the weather and the effect of fading heavily affects the performance of the whole system. The success of satellite communications is heavily dependent on the efficiency of new solutions and on the possibility of conveying industrial consensus on emerging standards and investments on key technology.

This issue of IEEE Wireless Communications is aimed at individuating key space and ground technologies, new applications, business and technical challenges that can make feasible the exploitation of satellite networks.

The papers are solicited from industries involved in development of new satellite systems and of specific key technologies, from vendors of satellite services, from operators, from venture capital companies investing in satellite communications, from standardization groups as well as from research centres and academia.

Papers are solicited in the following areas, but not limited to:

• Improved physical layers

• Power and bandwidth allocation solutions

• Resource management and reconfigurability

• Emerging satellite systems and architectures

• Emerging standards: DVB-S2, DVB-RCS, IPoS, …

• QoS-oriented solutions

• Enhanced protocols

• PEPs

• Traffic management and tariffing

• Satellite network control

• New applications and services

• Business opportunities

The present Issue and the Issue “The Synergy of Space and Terrestrial Communications in Next-generation Hybrid Wireless Systems” are complementary. They will be prepared in conjunction and the Guest Editors of both Issues will communicate during the whole paper handling process. Papers might also be exchanged between the two Issues according to the addressed topics.

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