SUMMARYIn this paper, we analyze Orthogonal Frequency‐Division Multiple Access and Single‐Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access as alternative physical layer schemes for the up‐link of a satellite network. Both orthogonal frequency‐division multiple access and single‐carrier frequency division multiple access are orthogonal multicarrier modulations (MCMs). They provide a higher spectral efficiency than the single‐carrier modulations employed today in satellite networks. Unfortunately, MCMs are also more vulnerable to nonlinear distortion, phase noise, and synchronization errors. This has prevented, so far, the use of MCMs in satellite uplinks, where these impairments are very critical. In our analysis, we show that a well‐design MCM system can effectively provide reliable communications in satellite uplinks, even in the presence of nonlinear distortion, phase noise, and synchronization errors. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.