Internet access via LEO satellite networks: TCP/IP or ATM?

This paper looks at the problem of using either ATM or TCP/IP for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks. It is shown that neither ATM nor TCP/IP, on their own, can provide a satisfactory service for all different kinds of channel conditions. TCP/IP behaves very well when channel conditions are ideal but ATM outperforms TCP/IP when channel conditions begin to degrade. Our results suggest that a hybrid solution may be necessary where the scheme used can adapt to the changing channel conditions. We also outline a simple approach to improve the performance of TCP/IP.