Multiple access system and method for determining a distance to an endpoint

1. A method comprising:

sending, by a satellite, a downlink signal to a first endpoint and a second endpoint at a first time;

receiving, by the satellite, a first uplink signal from the first endpoint at a second time, wherein the second time is based on a first delay value calculated by the first endpoint;

receiving, by the satellite, a second uplink signal from the second endpoint at a third time, wherein the third time is based on a second delay value calculated by the second endpoint;

calculating, by the satellite, the first delay value and the second delay value based on one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and the second endpoint, respectively, and an algorithm; and

responsive to calculating the first delay value and the second delay value, determining, by the satellite, a first distance between the satellite and the first endpoint and a second distance between the satellite and the second endpoint.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first payload of the downlink signal and a second payload of the first uplink signal include the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and the algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second time is not the same as the third time, and wherein the second time overlaps with the third time.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the satellite, the first distance between the satellite and the first endpoint is at least based on the first time, the second time, and the first delay value.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first delay value is equal to a difference between a fourth time of the first endpoint receiving the downlink signal and a fifth time of the first endpoint sending the first uplink signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint comprises a media access control address and a system frame number.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the algorithm is a hashing algorithm.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first endpoint, a downlink signal from a satellite at a first time, wherein the downlink signal is also received by a second endpoint;

calculating, by the first endpoint, a first delay value based on one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and an algorithm, wherein the first delay value is different from a second delay value calculated by the second endpoint; and

sending, by the first endpoint, a first uplink signal to the satellite at a second time such that the first uplink signal arrives at the satellite at a different time than an arrival of a second uplink signal from the second endpoint, wherein the first delay value is equal to a difference between the first time and the second time.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a first payload of the downlink signal and a second payload of the first uplink signal include the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and the algorithm.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first uplink signal arrives at the satellite at a time that overlaps with the arrival of the second uplink signal from the second endpoint.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising causing, by the first endpoint, the satellite to determine a distance between the first endpoint and the satellite based on the first delay value.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint comprises a media access control address and a system frame number.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the algorithm is a hashing algorithm.

14. An apparatus comprising a processor having programmed instructions to:

send a downlink signal to a first endpoint and a second endpoint at a first time;

receive a first uplink signal from the first endpoint at a second time, wherein the second time is based on a first delay value calculated by the first endpoint;

receive a second uplink signal from the second endpoint at a third time, wherein the third time is based on a second delay value calculated by the first endpoint;

calculate the first delay value and the second delay value based on one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and the second endpoint, respectively, and an algorithm; and

responsive to calculating the first delay value and the second delay value, determine a first distance between a satellite and the first endpoint and a second distance between the satellite and the second endpoint.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a first payload of the downlink signal and a second payload of the first uplink signal include the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint and the algorithm.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the second time is not the same as the third time, and wherein the second time overlaps with the third time.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein determining the first distance between the satellite and the first endpoint is at least based on the first time, the second time, and the first delay value.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first delay value is equal to a difference between a fourth time of the first endpoint receiving the downlink signal and a fifth time of the first endpoint sending the first uplink signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint comprises a media access control address.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the one or more identifiers of the first endpoint comprises a system frame number.