co-location
The practice of placing two or more satellites at or near the same geostationary orbital slot, typically within ±0.1°, operated in a coordinated manner to increase effective capacity at that position.
Full Definition
Co-location (also written as 'colocation' in some American English style guides) refers to the orbital arrangement in which multiple GEO satellites are stationed within a cluster at the same nominal longitude, sharing the orbital slot while differentiating their signals through frequency separation, polarisation, or beam isolation. Co-located satellites allow an operator to expand capacity at a popular orbital position (e.g., a hotspot serving a major broadcast market) without occupying a new slot. The arrangement requires careful RF coordination to prevent intra-cluster interference and is governed by ITU filings that describe each satellite's frequency assignments and coordination parameters. Editors must apply the house style consistently: the hyphenated form 'co-location' is standard in ITU documents and British English technical publications, while 'colocation' is common in American industry usage.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenated ('co-location') in ITU and British English documents; one word ('colocation') in many American publications. Confirm house style and apply consistently. Not to be confused with data-centre colocation (housing servers in a shared facility).
In Context
- "The operator's co-location strategy at 28.5°E places three satellites within a 0.15° box to maximise Ku-band capacity over Europe." — Business strategy document
- "ITU co-location filings must specify the isolation mechanisms between co-located satellites to protect adjacent operators." — Regulatory submission