Dual-mode satellite/cellular phone architecture with physically separable modes

摘要

In a dual-mode satellite/cellular phone system, a user has the option of placing or receiving calls to and from the satellite network with either the cellular/PCS phone or the fully self-contained, stand-alone satellite phone. If the user places or receives a satellite call with the cellular/PCS phone, the communication signals to and from the cellular/PCS phone will first be received from or transmitted to the satellite phone over a short-range, low-power communication link. The satellite phone, in turn, communicates directly with the satellite network from a location that is within a short range of the cellular/PCS phone, and from a location that preferably has a direct line-of-sight with the one or more satellites that make up the satellite network.