Évaluation comparative des performances d’un réseau satellite en zones rurales rurales reculées

Thesis Abstract

In many rural areas, access to reliable satellite communication remains uneven, limiting socio-economic development and digital inclusion; this study investigates the comparative performance of satellite networks in remote rural zones to identify determinants of service quality and user satisfaction. The central aim is to evaluate technical, operational, and experiential dimensions of satellite connectivity to inform policy and network design. Specific objectives include (1) measuring service reliability, latency, throughput, and uptime across representative rural sites; (2) assessing user-perceived quality of service (QoS) and digital accessibility among diverse demographic groups; (3) analyzing the impact of network configuration, terrain, and weather on performance using a multilevel analytic framework; (4) comparing satellite service providers against a baseline terrestrial alternative where available; and (5) proposing optimization guidelines to enhance reliability and affordability in sparsely connected regions. The study adopts a mixed-methods research design anchored in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Diffusion of Innovations theory to explain user uptake and satisfaction, complemented by the Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) framework to assess development impacts. The population comprises satellite users and network engineers across five districts characterized by rugged topography and limited terrestrial coverage. A stratified random sampling approach selects 300 end-users (households and small enterprises) for quantitative measurements, and 20 network engineers for qualitative insights. Data collection instruments include standardized QoS meters deployed at user premises to capture latency, jitter, packet loss, and throughput over a six-month monitoring period; structured surveys to gauge user satisfaction, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and accessibility; in-depth interviews with network engineers and regional policy-makers; and service performance logs provided by satellite operators. Instrument validity and reliability are ensured through pilot testing, Cronbach’s alpha for survey scales, and triangulation across sensor data, self-reports, and operator logs. Analytical methods involve descriptive statistics to summarize performance metrics, inferential statistics including repeated-measures ANOVA to compare QoS across sites and time, and multilevel regression to assess the influence of terrain, weather, and network configuration on performance indicators. A time-series analysis using ARIMA models will examine seasonal patterns in service quality, while thematic analysis of interview transcripts will extract contextual factors affecting user experience and maintenance practices. A conceptual model will integrate technical performance variables with user-perceived QoS and socio-economic outcomes to elucidate pathways from network characteristics to development impacts. Expected findings anticipate meaningful heterogeneity in performance across districts, with higher latency and lower throughput in densely forested or mountainous corridors due to line-of-sight and atmospheric effects. It is hypothesized that proactive traffic shaping, adaptive coding and modulation, and regional caching strategies correlate with improved user satisfaction and perceived usefulness, irrespective of raw throughput. The study also expects to reveal gaps between operator-reported metrics and end-user experience, highlighting issues related to maintenance response times and weather-related outages. The research contributes to knowledge by linking quantitative network performance with socio-behavioral outcomes in rural development contexts and by offering a data-driven comparative framework for evaluating satellite networks against local alternatives. Policy and practice implications include evidence-based recommendations for optimization of satellite resource allocation, investment in ground infrastructure to reduce outage impact, and tailored training programs to enhance user adoption in rural communities. The study concludes that a holistic assessment combining network engineering metrics, user-centered QoS evaluation, and socio-economic indicators provides essential guidance for designing resilient satellite ecosystems that advance digital equity in remote rural areas. Recommendations for future work emphasize longitudinal tracking of technology diffusion, integration with complementary connectivity solutions (e.g., high-altitude platform stations), and the development of standardized metrics for cross-country comparability.