SkyOctopus: Enabling Low-Latency Mobile Satellite Network through Multiple Anchors

2025-02-05

AI Summary

To address routing detours and high end-to-end latency caused by the conventional single-anchor architecture in low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite networks, this paper proposes a multi-anchor mobile satellite network architecture. Our approach introduces, for the first time, an on-board traffic classifier and a real-time multipath monitoring mechanism, enabling dynamic user association with geographically optimal anchor points worldwide and facilitating end-to-end optimal path selection. We implement a prototype system integrating enhanced Open5GS and UERANSIM, validated using realistic orbital data from Starlink, Kuiper, and OneWeb LEO constellations. Experimental results demonstrate up to a 53% reduction in end-to-end latency compared to standard 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and two baseline schemes, significantly improving global low-latency Internet service quality. This work breaks the traditional single-anchor paradigm of terrestrial mobile networks and offers a novel architectural direction for NTN evolution.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Natural Language Processing: Language Grounding & Multi-modal NLP

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

The rapid deployment of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations has drawn attention to the potential of nonterrestrial networks (NTN) in providing global communication services. Telecom operators are attempting to collaborate with satellite network providers to develop mobile satellite networks, which serve as an effective supplement to terrestrial networks. However, current mobile satellite network architectures still employ the single-anchor design of terrestrial mobile networks, leading to severely circuitous routing for users and significantly impacting their service experience. To reduce unnecessary latency caused by circuitous routing and provide users with low-latency global internet services, this paper presents SkyOctopus, an advanced multi-anchor mobile satellite network architecture. SkyOctopus innovatively deploys traffic classifiers on satellites to enable connections between users and multiple anchor points distributed globally. It guarantees optimal anchor point selection for each user's target server by monitoring multiple end-to-end paths. We build a prototype of SkyOctopus using enhanced Open5GS and UERANSIM, which is driven by actual LEO satellite constellations such as Starlink, Kuiper, and OneWeb. We conducted extensive experiments, and the results demonstrate that, compared to standard 5G NTN and two other existing schemes, SkyOctopus can reduce end-to-end latency by up to 53%.

Problem

• Reduces latency in mobile satellite networks
• Innovates multi-anchor network architecture
• Enhances global internet service efficiency

Innovation

• Multi-anchor satellite network
• Traffic classifiers on satellites
• Optimal anchor point selection