global area network (GAN)

A global area network( GAN) is a communications system that is subject to virtually no spatial limitation due to the use of satellites. Insatellite transmission, the communications satellites are the switching nodes and the uplink and downlinkradio links to and from the satellites are the transmission links.

These high- capacity uplink and downlink radio links operate with error detection and error correction. The end-to-end message delay is relatively high due to the long distance between the ground station and the satellite.

To the user, the global network appears, if at all, as a space or time channel available to him. The transmission speed on such a channel is usually 2 Mbps. Global networks are usually connected to regional wide area networks, but they can also interconnect LAN segments due to their performance. Examples: Telcom, Satellite Business Systems( SBS).