While Satcom-On-The-Move, also known as Sotm, is available for hand-held devices globally, at all latitudes, from the 66-satellite commercial Iridium network, it is limited to low data rates of between 2.4 and 10 kbps. Broadband satcom requires higher frequencies as found in the UHF band (300 MHz to 3 GHz), the X band (8 to 12 GHz), the Ku band (12 to 18 GHz) and the Ka band (26.5 to 40 GHz). It also requires high-gain antennae, which have narrow beams, that must be accurately pointed at the satellite at all times, a major engineering challenge for vehicle-mounted systems that must maintain connectivity on the move over rough ground.
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