In a satellite communication system, ring-alerts are broadcast in a sequence that maximizes the time between when ring-alerts are issued in any adjacent antenna beam. Satellite power is conserved by allowing time for a subscriber unit to respond, after which subsequent ring-alerts directed at that subscriber are canceled. When a gateway receives a request for a ring-alert, the satellite and the antenna beams are identified which are currently serving the location of the subscriber unit being called. The satellite is provided a list of antenna beams and proceeds to broadcast ring-alerts directed at subscriber units within the identified antenna beams. Unsent ring-alerts are canceled when responses from the subscriber units are received.