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LEO Satellite vs. Cellular Networks: Exploring the Potential for Synergistic Integration

Published: 05 December 2023 Publication History

Abstract

Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, such as Starlink, are transforming global network connectivity by bringing Internet access to remote and underserved areas. However, the current coverage and performance of the LEO satellite network service compared with those of cellular networks are under-explored. In this work, we present a measurement study of the Starlink LEO satellite network in comparison with cellular networks, aiming to uncover the potential for synergistic integration. Through a large-scale data collection campaign and in-depth analysis, we (1) identify the performance characteristics of two Starlink configurations, (2) evaluate the coverage of the current Starlink deployment compared to major cellular carriers, and (3) investigate the potential benefits of enabling multipath using both LEO satellite and cellular networks.

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Cited By

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  • (2025)Modeling and predicting starlink throughput with fine-grained burst characterizationComputer Communications10.1016/j.comcom.2025.108090234(108090)Online publication date: Mar-2025
  • (2024)Starlink on the Road: A First Look at Mobile Starlink Performance in Central Europe2024 8th Network Traffic Measurement and Analysis Conference (TMA)10.23919/TMA62044.2024.10559110(1-8)Online publication date: 21-May-2024
  • (2024)It's a bird? It's a plane? It's CDN!: Investigating Content Delivery Networks in the LEO Satellite Networks EraProceedings of the 23rd ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks10.1145/3696348.3696879(1-9)Online publication date: 18-Nov-2024
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        cover image ACM Conferences
        CoNEXT 2023: Companion of the 19th International Conference on emerging Networking EXperiments and Technologies
        December 2023
        80 pages
        ISBN:9798400704079
        DOI:10.1145/3624354
        Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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        Published: 05 December 2023

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        Author Tags

        1. cellular network
        2. low earth orbit
        3. mptcp
        4. network measurement
        5. satellite network

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        Cited By

        View all
        • (2025)Modeling and predicting starlink throughput with fine-grained burst characterizationComputer Communications10.1016/j.comcom.2025.108090234(108090)Online publication date: Mar-2025
        • (2024)Starlink on the Road: A First Look at Mobile Starlink Performance in Central Europe2024 8th Network Traffic Measurement and Analysis Conference (TMA)10.23919/TMA62044.2024.10559110(1-8)Online publication date: 21-May-2024
        • (2024)It's a bird? It's a plane? It's CDN!: Investigating Content Delivery Networks in the LEO Satellite Networks EraProceedings of the 23rd ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks10.1145/3696348.3696879(1-9)Online publication date: 18-Nov-2024
        • (2024)Mind the Misleading Effects of LEO Mobility on End-to-End Congestion ControlProceedings of the 23rd ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks10.1145/3696348.3696867(34-42)Online publication date: 18-Nov-2024
        • (2024)A Multifaceted Look at Starlink PerformanceProceedings of the ACM Web Conference 202410.1145/3589334.3645328(2723-2734)Online publication date: 13-May-2024
        • (2024)Starlink and Cellular Connectivity under Mobility: Drive Testing Across the Arctic Circle2024 Wireless Telecommunications Symposium (WTS)10.1109/WTS60164.2024.10536679(1-9)Online publication date: 10-Apr-2024
        • (2024)Multi-Connectivity Between Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial MIMO SystemsIEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society10.1109/OJCOMS.2024.34003935(3245-3262)Online publication date: 2024
        • (2024)Performance Evaluation of Traffic Steering Methods for QoS Improvement in Case of Network Failures in Beyond 5G NetworksAdvances in Intelligent Networking and Collaborative Systems10.1007/978-3-031-72322-3_45(454-462)Online publication date: 15-Sep-2024

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