The International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has concluded the process of developing an ITU-R recommendation for the satellite component of the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced radio interface(s). The set of techniques specified in the recommendation can be used to implement efficient space/terrestrial infrastructures with high degree of spectrum utilization, and it will lead to a variety of benefits that serve the public interest, including multimedia broadband service to handheld or portable terminals and public protection and disaster relief solutions. This paper presents standardization procedures and describes the technical characteristics of the satellite radio interfaces specified in the ITU-R recommendation. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.