As a forerunner to future commercial communication satellites, the ACTS test bed offered an extremely versatile platform on which to conduct a wide range of user service applications. In addition, ACTS demonstrated the capability to interoperate with the terrestrial networks providing users with worldwide connectivity. This fits the telecommunication needs of today s global economy that requires interconnectivity among all countries. ACTS has operated with a network of over 70 terminals of various types for both fixed and mobile services throughout North and South America and Hawaii. Data rates using these various types of user terminals ranged from 2.4 Kbps up to 622 Mbps. Many of the terminals were integrated with fiber optic networks to form a hybrid satellite/terrestrial network to demonstrate, validate, and accelerate the role of satellites as key components on the information superhighway.

The ACTS Satellite/Terrestrial Test Bed

For instance, the high-data-rate terminals were integrated with the Bell Atlantic fiber network in Washington, D.C.; the Sprint fiber network in Kansas City, Kansas; and the GTE fiber network in Hawaii. Many of the T1-VSAT earth stations, as well as the various types of USAT and mobile terminals, were also connected into the public, switched terrestrial networks.

Some of the user services that were investigated in the user program are not yet available or effectively provided on a broad scale by today s commercial communication satellites. ACTS offered the potential to help spur the introduction of these new services and provided new ways to reach a larger number of...