Broadband Internet Access via Satellite: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions

Modern communication satellites provide high data rates and area-wide coverage, making them suitable for broadband Internet access. This paper gives an overview of state-of-the-art satellite networks, including a discussion about geostationary high-latency satellite links and the negative implications for Internet protocols. Moreover, current developments and future systems are reviewed: hybrid access with satellite and terrestrial networks, upcoming satellite systems in low and medium Earth orbit, and standardization activities regarding 5G non-terrestrial networks and DVB-S2X physical layer techniques such as beam-hopping and MIMO.