Globalstar Gateways
Each gateway, which is owned and managed by the service provider for the country in
which the gateway is located, receives transmissions from orbiting satellites, processes
calls, and switches them to the appropriate ground network.
A gateway may service more than one country. Gateways consist of three or four dish
antennas, a switching station and remote operating controls. Because all of the switches
and complex hardware are located on the ground, it is easier for Globalstar to maintain
and upgrade its system than it is for systems which handle switching in orbit.
Gateways offer seamless integration with local and regional telephony and wireless
networks. They utilize a standard T1/E1 interface to the existing PSTN/PLMN systems.
Encryption ensures voice and signaling security for individual transmissions.
The gateway is a sophisticated piece of engineering, designed to make the Globalstar
system simple to operate, and capable of offering seamless services for all Globalstar