Evaluation of Satellite Internet Service Quality for Educational Institutions in Yobe State

In geographically remote and underserved regions of Nigeria's North East zone, satellite internet connectivity often represents the only viable broadband option for educational institutions seeking to participate in e-learning and digital academic programs. This study evaluates the quality of satellite internet service provided to secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Yobe State, assessing adequacy for educational use cases. A field-based measurement study was conducted at twelve educational institutions across Damaturu, Potiskum, and Gashua local government areas, measuring download and upload speeds, latency, jitter, packet loss, and service availability during academic hours. Supplementary data were collected through structured interviews with school ICT coordinators and students regarding perceived service quality and educational impact. Results indicate that satellite internet services in the surveyed institutions provided average download speeds of 6.8 Mbps and upload speeds of 2.1 Mbps, adequate for basic web browsing but insufficient for simultaneous multi-user video streaming in classroom environments. Latency averaged 638 milliseconds, creating significant difficulties for real-time interactive e-learning platforms. Service availability was 89.4% over the measurement period. The study recommends adoption of low-Earth orbit satellite services such as Starlink as a transitional solution for latency-sensitive educational applications, and advocates for government subsidy of subscription costs at public institutions. Keywords: satellite internet, educational connectivity, Yobe State, e-learning, latency.