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The students' report on Starlink has been downloaded over 7500 times

The Starlink satellite design being developed by SpaceX. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
The Starlink satellite design being developed by SpaceX. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Published Jun 16, 2025

How is satellite-based internet affected by rain and time of day? KTH students Emil Fredriksson and Céline Careau investigated this in their thesis - and they got it right. Their report has now been downloaded 52 times more than the average of all publications on diva in 2024, and the work has been nominated for the Best Paper Award at the international conference SPACOMM 2025 in Nice.

Emil and Celine presenting their study at SPACOMM, Nice 2025.
Emil and Celine presenting their study at SPACOMM, Nice 2025.

Starlink, the satellite network that connects the world to the internet, has quickly become a major player in wireless communications. But how robust is the technology - especially in Nordic conditions? That was the question Emil Fredriksson and Céline Careau asked themselves when they started their bachelor's thesis at KTH.

"We had started to get interested in wireless systems and saw Starlink as an exciting, somewhat unexplored area - especially in Sweden," the students say.

Their study investigated how the connection via Starlink is affected by rain, time of day and the transport protocol used. The measurements showed that the speed deteriorated during rain, and the connection was fastest at night - probably due to lower user pressure.

"We have learnt in our education that different factors can affect wireless communication, but it's great that it shows up so clearly on the graphs," said the students.

Update

Awarded with scholarships

Celine Careau and Emil Fredriksson awarded scholarships of SEK 75,000 each from the ISSLS2000 Foundation.

The report has attracted significant interest both within and outside the academy, with over 6900 downloads - 12 times more than the average for KTH's publications on Diva 2024. In May, they presented their results at the SPACOMM 2025 satellite conference in Nice.

"We chose a topical subject that many people are curious about - it has paid off," said the students.

Throughput Analysis of Starlink Satellite Internet: A Study on the Effects of Precipitation and Hourly Variability with TCP and UDP

Read the report: Supervisors

Claes Beckman
Claes Beckman researcher
Robert Olsson
Robert Olsson

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The Starlink satellite design being developed by SpaceX. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
The Starlink satellite design being developed by SpaceX. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

The students' report on Starlink has been downloaded over 7500 times

How is satellite-based internet affected by rain and time of day? KTH students Emil Fredriksson and Céline Careau investigated this in their thesis - and they got it right. Their report has now been d...

Read the article