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LEO Satellite Network Access in the Wild: Potentials, Experiences, and Challenges

Sami Ma, Yi Ching Chou, Miao Zhang, Hao Fang, Haoyuan Zhao, Jiangchuan Liu, William I. Atlas

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the viability of low Earth orbit satellite networks, especially Starlink, for ubiquitous connectivity in remote wild areas by deploying real-time salmon monitoring sites in Northern British Columbia. It combines field experiments, performance measurements, and environmental observations to assess latency, throughput, and reliability under challenging terrain, weather, and mobility conditions, and compares Starlink against traditional terrestrial and GEO options. The authors propose technical avenues—cross-orbit collaboration, inter-satellite-link enabled multi-path transmission, and LSN-empowered mobile edge computing—to achieve continuous, low-latency access and integration with cloud services. They also discuss opportunities and challenges for global coverage, highlighting Africa as a test case, regulatory landscapes, and environmental and cultural implications, arguing that a coordinated mix of space and terrestrial networks with appropriate governance is essential for truly ubiquitous access.

Abstract

In the past three years, working with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and various First Nations groups, we have established Starlink-empowered wild salmon monitoring sites in remote Northern British Columbia, Canada. We report our experiences with the network services in these challenging environments, including deep woods and deep valleys, that lack infrastructural support with some close to Starlink's service boundary at the far north. We assess the portability and mobility of the satellite dishes and the quality of existing network access in underdeveloped countries that Starlink expects to cover. Our experiences suggest that network access based on LEO satellite constellations holds promise but faces hurdles such as energy supply constraints and environmental factors like temperature, precipitation, and solar storms. The presence of wildlife and respecting local residents' culture and heritage pose further complications. We envision several technical solutions addressing the challenges and believe that further regulations will be necessary.

LEO Satellite Network Access in the Wild: Potentials, Experiences, and Challenges

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the viability of low Earth orbit satellite networks, especially Starlink, for ubiquitous connectivity in remote wild areas by deploying real-time salmon monitoring sites in Northern British Columbia. It combines field experiments, performance measurements, and environmental observations to assess latency, throughput, and reliability under challenging terrain, weather, and mobility conditions, and compares Starlink against traditional terrestrial and GEO options. The authors propose technical avenues—cross-orbit collaboration, inter-satellite-link enabled multi-path transmission, and LSN-empowered mobile edge computing—to achieve continuous, low-latency access and integration with cloud services. They also discuss opportunities and challenges for global coverage, highlighting Africa as a test case, regulatory landscapes, and environmental and cultural implications, arguing that a coordinated mix of space and terrestrial networks with appropriate governance is essential for truly ubiquitous access.

Abstract

In the past three years, working with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and various First Nations groups, we have established Starlink-empowered wild salmon monitoring sites in remote Northern British Columbia, Canada. We report our experiences with the network services in these challenging environments, including deep woods and deep valleys, that lack infrastructural support with some close to Starlink's service boundary at the far north. We assess the portability and mobility of the satellite dishes and the quality of existing network access in underdeveloped countries that Starlink expects to cover. Our experiences suggest that network access based on LEO satellite constellations holds promise but faces hurdles such as energy supply constraints and environmental factors like temperature, precipitation, and solar storms. The presence of wildlife and respecting local residents' culture and heritage pose further complications. We envision several technical solutions addressing the challenges and believe that further regulations will be necessary.
Paper Structure (21 sections, 6 figures)

This paper contains 21 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Starlink in the Wild: Experiences and Lessons
  3. Remote Salmon Monitoring: A Satellite Use Case
  4. Northern Shoreline
  5. High-Elevation Deep Valley
  6. Streaming QoE (Quality of Experience)
  7. Service Dynamics: Impact from Weather and Mobility
  8. The Wild World Challenge
  9. Environmental Constraints
  10. Wildlife Considerations
  11. Power Considerations
  12. Logistical Constraints
  13. Towards Ubiquitous LSN Access
  14. Cross-Orbit Collaboration
  15. Coordinated Multi-Path Transmission with ISL
  16. ...and 6 more sections

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: Salmon monitoring system setup diagram.
  • Figure 2: The Measurement Setups in Remote Areas
  • Figure 3: An aerial view of the weir site upstream of the Koeye River in the Great Bear rainforest.
  • Figure 4: E2E throughput distribution of two video uploading modes over LSN. (The number in X-axis tick labels represents the corresponding bitrate, e.g., VC-6 represents uploading the video encoded at $6$ Mbps.)
  • Figure 5: Cross-orbit collaboration in wild area.
  • ...and 1 more figures