On the performance of new generation satellite broadband internet services

Abstract

In the context of Internet access technologies, satellite networks have traditionally been considered for specific purposes or as a backup technology for users not reached by traditional access networks, such as 3G, cable or ADSL. In recent years, however, new satellite technologies have been pushed to the market, reopening the debate on the possibilities of having high-performance satellite access networks. Therefore, the performance monitoring and analysis of such networks is of great interest and importance for both industry and academia. In this article we present experiments we conducted for and results we obtained from the performance monitoring and measurement of two satellite broadband Internet access services. Moreover, we describe the simulator we built for the black-box analysis of the traffic shaping mechanism employed by the satellite operator. We quantify the real performance achievable with these technologies. Our unique results show when and how new-generation Internet satellite services can be a promising way to provide broadband Internet connections to users, and shed light on the traffic shaping mechanism employed by the operator and the possibilities left for the users.