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It's a bird? It's a plane? It's CDN!: Investigating Content Delivery Networks in the LEO Satellite Networks Era

Published: 18 November 2024 Publication History

Abstract

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) have been pivotal in the dramatic evolution of the Internet, handling the majority of data traffic for billions of connected users. Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, such as Starlink, aim to revolutionize global connectivity by providing high-speed, low-latency Internet to remote regions. However, LEO satellite networks (LSNs) face challenges integrating with traditional CDNs, which rely on geographical proximity for efficient content delivery - a method that clashes with the operational dynamics of LSNs. In this paper, we scrutinize the operation of CDNs in the context of LSNs, using Starlink as a case study. We develop a browser extension NetMet that performs extensive web browsing experiments from controlled nodes using both Starlink and terrestrial Internet access. Additionally, we analyse crowdsourced speed tests from Starlink users to Cloudflare CDN servers globally. Our results indicate significant performance issues for Starlink users, stemming from the misalignment between terrestrial and satellite infrastructures. We then investigate the potential for SpaceCDNs which integrate CDN infrastructure directly within the LSNs, and show that this approach offers a promising alternative that decreases latencies by over 50%, making them comparable with the CDN experience of users behind terrestrial ISPs. Our aim is to stimulate further research and discussion on overcoming the challenges of effective content delivery with growing LSN offerings.

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      cover image ACM Conferences
      HotNets '24: Proceedings of the 23rd ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks
      November 2024
      394 pages
      ISBN:9798400712722
      DOI:10.1145/3696348
      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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      Published: 18 November 2024

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      Author Tags

      1. CDN measurements
      2. Internet Measurements
      3. LEO Satellite networks
      4. Starlink

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      • German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport - 5G-COMPASS
      • National Growth Fund
      • German Federal Ministry of Education and Research - 6G Life

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