The growing demand for high data rate multimedia services combined with the convergence of traditionally disparate terrestrial systems and services has brought about significant innovation in recent years. Satellite systems have an important role to play in the provision of future communications services, notably broadcast services, but also in a range of emerging applications. Advanced interworking of satellites with terrestrial systems is needed for true global service provision and to provide additional support for emergency situations, traffic hotspots, etc.

The aim of this special issue is to report on recent advances in satellite system design, applications and networking. Of particular interest are developments designed to support emerging multimedia services as part of a wider network, to users at home, on aircraft, in high-speed trains, boats or cars.

Topics of primary interest include, but are not limited to:


• Emerging satellite systems and architectures (GEO, MEO and LEO)
• Advanced communication payloads
• Ground station hardware development
• Modulation and coding
• Communication protocols
• Emerging applications (including medical, disaster recovery, mobile multimedia)
• Network and mobility management
• Interworking with terrestrial systems (3G/LTE, WiMAX, WiFi)
• End-to-end quality of service provisioning
• High altitude platforms
• Spectrum sharing and regulatory issues
• Visionary and futuristic aspects

Important Dates:

Submission: April 1, 2009
First Acceptance: June 31, 2009
Amended Versions: September 30, 2009
Publication Date: 1st Quarter 2010 / 2nd Quarter 2010 (Tentative)

Guest Editors:

Dr Paul D. Mitchell
Department of Electronics
University of York
United Kingdom
pdm@ohm.york.ac.uk

Professor Ray E. Sheriff
School of Engineering, Design & Technology
University of Bradford
United Kingdom
r.e.sheriff@bradford.ac.uk

Series Editor:
Professor Habib F. Rashvand
IET Communications
h.rashvand@warwick.ac.uk

Submission Details: Original, high quality contributions that are not yet published or that are not currently under review by other journals or peer-reviewed conferences are sought. Manuscripts should not exceed 6000 words (excluding references, tables and figures). Manuscripts should be submitted online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/iet-com. Contributing authors might be asked to review some of the papers submitted to this special issue.