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Closing the Performance and Management Gaps with Satellite Internet: Challenges, Approaches, and Future Directions

Peng Hu

TL;DR

This position paper assesses two critical obstacles in satellite Internet: the performance gap, characterized by inconsistent end-to-end latency and throughput, and the management gap, arising from complex, heterogeneous NTN-TN ecosystems. It surveys how LEO-based constellations enable beyond-5G/6G connectivity but reveals that latency variance and operational challenges hinder equitable access. To address these gaps, the authors propose four directions: deploying proximity TN entities (IXPs, PoPs, EDCs) to reduce regional latency and improve affordability; adopting multi-layer satellite networking (MLSN) for performance-aware routing across orbital shells; integrating NTN with terrestrial networks (NTN-IN) under SDN and 3GPP frameworks; and applying autonomous maintenance (AM) with ML/RCA and federated learning to enhance resilience and reduce costs. Together, these approaches aim to realize equitable, high-quality satellite Internet and unlock broader digital services, supporting Sustainable Development Goals.

Abstract

Recent advancements in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites represented by large constellations and advanced payloads provide great promises for enabling beyond 5G and 6G telecommunications and high-quality and ubiquitous Internet connectivity to everyone anywhere on Earth. LEO satellite networks are envisioned to bridge the urban-rural connectivity gap for the digital divide. However, the digital divide can hardly be closed by only providing connectivity to rural and remote areas. Various unprecedented challenges brought by the emerging satellite Internet still need to be resolved, such as inconsistent end-to-end performance guarantees and a lack of efficient management and operations in these areas, which are referred to as "performance gap" and "management gap", respectively. This position paper will briefly discuss these gaps, approaches to addressing the gaps, and some research directions based on our recent works.

Closing the Performance and Management Gaps with Satellite Internet: Challenges, Approaches, and Future Directions

TL;DR

This position paper assesses two critical obstacles in satellite Internet: the performance gap, characterized by inconsistent end-to-end latency and throughput, and the management gap, arising from complex, heterogeneous NTN-TN ecosystems. It surveys how LEO-based constellations enable beyond-5G/6G connectivity but reveals that latency variance and operational challenges hinder equitable access. To address these gaps, the authors propose four directions: deploying proximity TN entities (IXPs, PoPs, EDCs) to reduce regional latency and improve affordability; adopting multi-layer satellite networking (MLSN) for performance-aware routing across orbital shells; integrating NTN with terrestrial networks (NTN-IN) under SDN and 3GPP frameworks; and applying autonomous maintenance (AM) with ML/RCA and federated learning to enhance resilience and reduce costs. Together, these approaches aim to realize equitable, high-quality satellite Internet and unlock broader digital services, supporting Sustainable Development Goals.

Abstract

Recent advancements in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites represented by large constellations and advanced payloads provide great promises for enabling beyond 5G and 6G telecommunications and high-quality and ubiquitous Internet connectivity to everyone anywhere on Earth. LEO satellite networks are envisioned to bridge the urban-rural connectivity gap for the digital divide. However, the digital divide can hardly be closed by only providing connectivity to rural and remote areas. Various unprecedented challenges brought by the emerging satellite Internet still need to be resolved, such as inconsistent end-to-end performance guarantees and a lack of efficient management and operations in these areas, which are referred to as "performance gap" and "management gap", respectively. This position paper will briefly discuss these gaps, approaches to addressing the gaps, and some research directions based on our recent works.
Paper Structure (10 sections)

This paper contains 10 sections.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Gaps Beyond Connectivity
  3. Performance Gap
  4. Management Gap
  5. Proposed Approaches & Future Directions
  6. Deploying TN entities
  7. Multi-layer satellite networking
  8. NTN-integrated networking
  9. Autonomous maintenance
  10. Conclusion