Developing an NTN Architecture for End-to-End Performance Evaluation

2025-12-23

AI Summary

Existing NTN research is largely confined to theoretical analysis or simulation, lacking end-to-end empirical validation in real-world settings. This paper introduces SpaceNET—a transparent NTN testbed—integrating commercial Starlink LEO satellites with Mininet-based network virtualization. It enables the first end-to-end, cross-domain heterogeneous access (smartphone + VSAT) and 5G integration evaluation between a terrestrial terminal in Virginia and a cruise ship off Florida’s coast. Our contributions include: (1) the first real-world, end-to-end measurement framework for LEO-based NTN; (2) the first systematic performance comparison of smartphone and VSAT terminals in a maritime-terrestrial hybrid environment; and (3) empirical validation of TCP/UDP behavior under transparent satellite payloads. Experiments yield the first benchmark dataset on throughput and latency for commercial LEO maritime services, revealing performance limits and reliability characteristics. The open, reproducible, and extensible platform advances practical NTN research and standardization.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Evaluation and Analysis

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web performance, measurement, and characterization
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics

Abstract

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are emerging as critical enablers of global connectivity, particularly in remote, unserved, underserved, or maritime regions lacking traditional infrastructure. While much of the existing work on NTN focuses on theoretical or simulated evaluations, practical implementations remain limited. In this paper, we present SpaceNET, a transparent NTN testbed that leverages the Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation in conjunction with Mininet-based emulation to perform end-to-end performance assessments across real-world maritime and terrestrial endpoints that can also be applied to 5th generation (5G). Specifically, we establish a bidirectional link between a ground terminal located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a maritime terminal aboard a cruise ship near Key West, Florida. We report detailed transmission control protocol (TCP) throughput, user datagram protocol (UDP) throughput, and latency measurements using two different user terminals - a) Smartphone, and b) very small aperture terminal (VSAT), emphasizing the transparent nature of the NTN payload, where the satellite acts solely as a relay node. Our results provide new insights into the performance limits and reliability of commercial LEO-based NTN applications. The SpaceNET testbed offers a reproducible and extensible platform for future research in NTN routing, mobility support, and cross-layer optimization.

Problem

• Develops a transparent NTN testbed for real-world performance evaluation
• Establishes a bidirectional satellite link between terrestrial and maritime endpoints
• Measures TCP/UDP throughput and latency using smartphone and VSAT terminals

Innovation

• Leveraging Starlink LEO satellites for real-world NTN testing
• Using Mininet-based emulation for end-to-end performance evaluation
• Establishing transparent bidirectional links between terrestrial and maritime terminals