Reliable and User Friendly Low Bandwidth Web Surfing - Performance and Reliability Improvements of a Proxy Server and Web Browser Prototype

Abstract: In remote locations, internet access can be enabled using satellite connections, such as the Iridium Satellite Network. The Iridium GO! device provides a bandwidth of 2.4 kbit/s. On such a low bandwidth it would take hours to download most modern websites. In 2018, a prototype which enables general web browsing on a low bandwidth was developed at Charmers. The prototype acts as a proof of concept for the use of a performance enhancing proxy server to extract data in order to reduce content size and achieve viable loading times. The 2019 prototype replaces components of the 2018 iteration, providing a faster and more reliable service. In particular, no excess data is being sent and the delay caused by compression and data extraction is notably shorter, resulting in a 66% reduction on average to the time between sending a request and the moment the first content arrives to the client.