Availability of 1/sup st/ generation satellite personal communication network service in urban environments

We analyse the availability of service of two proposed 1st generation satellite systems in urban environments. We present results of the projected availability of service of each of these systems in two different types of urban/city environments over the entire latitude range. These two types of urban environment are a typical American city (e.g. LA) and typical European city (e.g. London). The shadowing and satellite channel correlation information was extracted from photographs taken with a fish-eye camera lens in the aforementioned urban areas. The shadowing characteristics of the two different types of urban/city environment are compared.