[e2e] Satellite networks latency and data corruption

[Christian Huitema]

> It would also help to understand the typical errors seen, does the
noise
> tend to impact just one "end to end to end association", is it evenly
> distributed etc?

Well, last time I checked that was about 20 years ago, but conditions
probably have not changed too much.

The error rate depends on the propagation conditions. In the band where
most satellites operate (12/14 GHz), these conditions are affected
mostly by the weather, and more precisely by the presence of
hydrometeors. A large cumulonimbus between antenna and satellite can
drop the transmission balance by 3 to 5 db. Cumulonimbus can be a few
kilometer wide, so a typical event can last a few minutes, depending of
the size of the wind.

The effect on the error rate depends of the engineering of the system.
If the system is "simple" (no FEC), users may see a very low error rate
when the sky is clear, and a rate 1000 times higher during a weather
event. If the system uses FEC, the effect can be amplified, i.e. quasi
no error in clear sky, and a high error rate during the event.

-- Christian Huitema