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A satellite communications system (10) has a controller for improving and optimizing the delivery of path diversity in a satellite repeater-based communication system, thereby conserving both FDM channels and satellite power utilization. The reception of communications is improved, when one or more

A satellite communications system (10) has a controller for improving and optimizing the delivery of path diversity in a satellite repeater-based communication system, thereby conserving both FDM channels and satellite power utilization. The reception of communications is improved, when one or more orbiting satellite repeater (12) transmitters is blocked or severely faded, by recognizing the need for satellite path diversity on a real-time or near real-time basis. A user terminal (13) is thus enabled to receive sufficient signal strength to avoid having an ongoing call automatically terminated. The system optimizes satellite path diversity applied to (a) classes (types) of user terminals and/or (b) to individual user terminals as a function of location and also a local RF propagation environment of the user terminal. In addition, a consideration is made of the satellite resources that are available at any given point in time, and may restrict or limit the availability of satellite path diversity, thereby increasing overall system capacity.

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A satellite communications system (10) has a controller for improving and optimizing the delivery of path diversity in a satellite repeater-based communication system, thereby conserving both FDM channels and satellite power utilization. The reception of communications is improved, when one or more

A satellite communications system (10) has a controller for improving and optimizing the delivery of path diversity in a satellite repeater-based communication system, thereby conserving both FDM channels and satellite power utilization. The reception of communications is improved, when one or more orbiting satellite repeater (12) transmitters is blocked or severely faded, by recognizing the need for satellite path diversity on a real-time or near real-time basis. A user terminal (13) is thus enabled to receive sufficient signal strength to avoid having an ongoing call automatically terminated. The system optimizes satellite path diversity applied to (a) classes (types) of user terminals and/or (b) to individual user terminals as a function of location and also a local RF propagation environment of the user terminal. In addition, a consideration is made of the satellite resources that are available at any given point in time, and may restrict or limit the availability of satellite path diversity, thereby increasing overall system capacity. a communication network for receiving an incoming packet of data; and a mapping table comprising a priority code that is assigned to the packet depending on an identification number of another forwarding module immediately preceding the forwarding module, wherein the priority code is maintained for only a portion of the plurality of successive packets whose cumulative number of bits forwarded per second is greater than the allocated transmission speed, and wherein at least one packet of the successive packets is forwarded across the section of data flow path with a default priority code less than the assigned priority code. 2. The forwarding module as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority code is further assigned depending on an amount of bandwidth allocated to a section of the data flow path to which the packet of data is forwarded from the forwarding module. 3. The forwarding module as recited in claim 2, wherein the amount of bandwidth comprises an allocated transmission speed of said section of data flow path. 4. The forwarding module as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority code is used to prioritize transmission of the incoming packet across at least a portion of the communication network. 5. The forwarding module as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority code within the incoming packet is assigned to a packet which follows the incoming packet for prioritizing the following packet relative to the incoming packet. 6. A Forwarding module, comprising: an input coupled within a data flow path of a communication network for receiving a incoming packet of data; a mapping table comprising a priority code that is assigned to the packet depending on an identification number of another forwarding module immediately preceding the forwarding module, wherein the priority code is maintained for only a portion of the plurality of successive packets whose cumulative number of bits fowarded per second is greater than the allocated transmission speed, and wherein at least one packet of the sucessive packets is forwarded across the section of data flow path with a default priority code less than the assigned priority code wherein the priority code assigned to the packet depends on an address from which the packet of data was sent; wherein the priority code further assigned depending on an amount of bandwidth allocated to a section of the data flow path to which the packet of data is forwarded from the wherein the amount of bandwidth comprises an allocated transmission speed of said section of data flow path: and wherein the priority code is maintained for the plurality of successive packets provided the number of bits forwarded per second by the plurality of successive packets is less than the allocated transmission speed. 7. A communication network, comprising: a first forwarding module that receives a first packet of data and assign a first priority code to the first packet of data; a second forwarding module that receives a second packet of data and assign a second priority code to the second packet of data; an arbiter coupled to forward the first packet of data across a portion of the communication network instead of the second packet of data if the first priority code is higher in priority than the second priority code, wherein the address from which the first and second packets of data is sent corresponds to an identification code of a forwarding module situated at a unique structural level within the communication network: nd wherein the first priority code and the second priority code assigned depending on the identification number of the forwarding module immediately upstream of the respective first and send forwarding modules. 8. The communication network as recited in claim 7, wherein the arbiter forwards the first packet of data followed by a successive number of packets of data from the first forwarding module before sending the second packet of data. 9. The communication network as recited in clai m 7, wherein the arbiter is coupled within a third forwarding module linked to receive an output from the first and second forwarding modules. 10. The communication network as recited in claim 7, wherein the first and second forwarding modules each comprise: a storage device containing respective said first and second priority codes; and a traffic controller execution unit which fetches said first and second priority codes from the storage devices and places the first and second priority codes within a header of the first and second packets of data. 11. The communication network as recited in claim 10, wherein the storage device is programmed from instructions sent across a bus separate from a data flow path of the communication network. 12. The communication network as recited in claim 7, wherein the propagation times through the first and second forwarding modules are pre-defined. 13. The communication network as recited in claim 7, wherein the propagation times through the first and second forwarding modules are pre-defined based on available bandwidth through the communication network.