I don’t think that’s technically correct - the system schedules user slots on a 15s interval: 

"SpaceX also provides customers with their own phased-array terminal to be deployed at their service location to connect directly to the satellite’s Ku- band RF beam. assigned to the user’s service area. Because the Starlink satellites are constantly moving, the network plans these connections on 15 second intervals, continuously re-generating and publishing a schedule of connections to the satellite fleet and handing off connections between satellites."
“The ability to control hand-offs in software with millisecond precision allows SpaceX to turn the constant motion of the constellation into a key advantage for the Starlink network. These micro-adjustments enhance Starlink’s reliability and enables more efficient management of capacity in real time.”

My assumption is the connection switching is make-after-break, meaning there will be some delay in switching satellites, which seems to cause a brief increase in loss and buffering. 


On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 3:09 PM Daniel AJ Sokolov <daniel@falco.ca> wrote:
Hello,

 From this list I have learned that Starlink is optimized to shine in
tests with speedtest.net and similar sites, but that transmission rates
drop quickly after about 15 seconds.

How do they do that, technically?

Is that a result of Bufferbloat? Is that a a specific code in the modem
to cheat, like some car manufacturers cheated on emissions tests? Is
that something done in the satellites who shift capacity from other
users to those users who initiate downloads? Is that done on the backhaul?

Thank you
Daniel
_______________________________________________
Starlink mailing list
Starlink@lists.bufferbloat.net
https://lists.bufferbloat.net/listinfo/starlink