The basic principle of satellite communication is a radio communications system with satellite as repeater stations. Configuring a satellite communication system is divided into two parts: ground segment and space segment. Earth segment consists of several earth station that serves as the sending earth station and earth station receiver, while the space segment of satellite that receives signals transmitted from the sending earth station, and then strengthen it and send signals to a receiving earth station.

In a satellite communication system using geosynchronous orbit, the distance that must be taken very far, which is about 36,000 km. This causes damping trajectories become very large, so that the received power level is very weak. To overcome this problem, a high reliability equipment is necessary, both from the space segment and earth segment.

In accordance with the altitude of its orbit, the satellite mobile communication system consists of three types of orbits:

1. Low Earth Orbit (500 km to 2,000 km)
2. Medium Earth Orbit (5,000 km to 20,000 km)
3. Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (35,786 km)