Abstract

Inflated latency impacts mobile and satellite internet connections, particularly in real-time data transfer interaction scenarios. This research focuses on the significant sources of latency in these cases, paying special attention to the factors that differentiate them from rude terrestrial broadband networks, such as the structure and environment of mobile broadband. Signal propagation time delays, cell-to-cell handovers, and network congestion cause mobile internet latency. On the other hand, satellite internet experiences some latency due to the significant distance’s signals have to travel to geostationary or low-Earth orbit satellites and back. We assess latency with varying network loads and mobility through empirical measurements and simulation data. Results show that 5G mobile networks have lowered latency through edge computing, advanced protocols, and increased user mobility; however, performance chokepoints still exist due to user-initiated variability and signal interference. Satellite connections experience higher baseline latency than terrestrial systems, especially in adverse weather conditions; however, improvements have arisen from the launch of LEO constellation satellites, such as Starlink. The study also seeks the effect of latency reduction through packet aggregation, optimized routing, and adaptive buffering, which have slight but notable improvements to user experience in high-latency environments. The impact of latency inflation needs to be understood in the context of application development for latency-sensitive solutions, such as those in telemedicine, online gaming, and remote learning, to design more effective systems. To address latency-aware service provisioning moving forward, will require multi-level optimization of layered satellite, terrestrial, and mobile network infrastructure architectures.