Definitions of Key TerreStar
Business Terms

3GPP - 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
A telecommunications standards group which focuses on next-generation mobile technologies.

4G - Fourth Generation.
4G stands for fourth-generation wireless, the next evolution of broadband mobile communications after the third generation (3G). TerreStar is building a fourth generation mobile communications network. The 4G standard has yet to be exactly defined by industry standards organizations. 4G will most likely include end-to-end Internet Protocol (IP), packet-switched transmission, higher rates of data transmission than achieved by 3G networks, streaming video, etc.

All-IP - All Internet Protocol.
This term is usually used in the context of a communications network. All IP networks use the standard IP protocol which is widely deployed in linked systems of packet-switched wide area and local area communications networks. All-IP networks support converged voice and multimedia communication (mobile and fixed) with flexible, packet-based technologies which are based on Internet protocols. TerreStar is building an all IP network based on accepted industry standards and protocols such as IMS, IP and SIP. In the TerreStar all-IP 4G network, subscriber new services can be deployed atomically, without affecting existing services or the core, all-IP mobility network.

ARPU - Average Revenue Per User.
A benchmark used by analysts to measure financial performance of wireless, cable and other communications companies. ARPU is generally the average amount of revenue a company collects from each user per month. Communications firms often work to increase this number by offering additional communications services to users such as data plans, messaging, location based services, downloadable content and other value-added services.

ATC - Ancillary Terrestrial Component.
ATC is an FCC term, usually employed in the context of an integrated satellite and cellular network such as that being built by TerreStar. The land-based mobile cellular ("ATC") component complements the coverage provided by TerreStar satellites. The ATC enables TerreStar to provide high capacity land-based mobile cellular coverage in areas with dense population density in and around urban centers where satellite coverage would be otherwise unsatisfactory.

BSS - Business Support Systems.
These systems are used by wireless and other communications operators to manage backoffice business operations such as fulfillment, billing, revenue management, order entry, provisioning, sales management, customer management and customer databases. The term BSS is often used in conjunction with the term OSS.

Conventional wireless devices.
Conventional wireless devices include voice-only cellphones, voice and SMS-only cellphones, LMR handsets and low-rate data card enabled laptops. Advanced wireless devices are designed to work on 3G and 4G networks and include smart phones, phones that support video and video conferencing, and high-speed data card enabled laptops.

Dynamically-configurable spot beams.
The TerreStar I and TerreStar II satellites contain ground-based beam forming capabilities which will enable TerreStar, in the case of an emergency event, to instantly reallocate substantial satellite resources to the geographic location of the event, providing first responders with needed capacity for interoperable communications.

GHz - Gigahertz.
Gigahertz is a measure of frequency.
1 GHz = 1,000 MHz = 1,000,000 KHz or 1 Billion cycles/sec

IMS - IP Multimedia Subsystem.
IMS is a an open standard that enables telecommunications carriers to provide converged voice and multimedia communications services via packet-based networks. SIP serves as a foundation for IMS. IMS enables mobile services such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and Push-To-Talk (PTT). TerreStar will use IMS in its network.

LMRS -Land Mobile Radio System.
A Land Mobile Radio system provides wireless communications service for specialized applications such as fire, police, emergency workers and other first response personnel. LMR services can be provided to mobile users who are stationary, on foot, or in transportation vehicles. LMR systems are often used by governmental organizations such as military, fire and police organizations, and by commercial organizations with large numbers of mobile workers in field operations.

MHZ - Megahertz.
Megahertz is a measure of frequency equal to 1 million Hertz (Hz) or 1 million cycles/second.

OSS - Operations Support Systems.
Communications firms use these systems to provision and operate their network and business. OSS activities may include billing, fault management, order taking, and network configuration.

Packet-switched
Packet switching is a connectionless form of communications network design in which information is disassembled into smaller packets of data which traverse the network shared with other traffic (possibly via different paths) and are reassembled on the other end. Packet switched networks are widely adopted and deployed in the telecommunications industry, by wireless, wireline and cable operators. Packet switching is different from circuit switching, which establishes dedicated communication links. Packet switching is a foundational technology for the Internet.

SIP - Session Initiation Protocol.
Many TerreStar services will make use of session management between the subscriber and the application servers using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a basic protocol that enables communications between two or more users. SIP interworks seamlessly within the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) SIP Working Group defines SIP as: "a text-based protocol, similar to HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Simple Message Transfer Protocol (SMTP), for initiating interactive communication sessions between users. Such sessions include voice, video, chat, interactive games, and virtual reality." SIP is currently specified as proposed IETF standard RFC 3261and its family of extensions.

WCDMA - Wideband Code Division Multiple Access.
WCDMA is a third-generation (3G) air interface wireless standard which supports basic mobile voice and data services as well as multimedia services such as videoconferencing, high speed wireless Internet access, mobile gaming, mobile TV and other value added services. WCDMA will support speeds from 384 Kbps to 2 Mbps. The terms WCDMA and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) are synonymous. The majority of GSM mobile operators are evolving to WCDMA-based networks.

Wireless backhaul.
Wireless backhaul is the connection from a wireless base station to the backbone network. Traditional backhaul links include landline facilities such as T1 and OC3 lines. Alternate backhaul technologies include satellite and microwave transmission systems.