I was at Motorola when Iridium went up, and witness first hand the changing market dynamics that were happening even before their first satellite was deployed.

I was at Motorola when Iridium went up, and witness first hand the changing market dynamics that were happening even before their first satellite was deployed. Was thinking then that if they mad the satellites generic data switches instead of a flying phone switch, they would have had a much bigger market. So for Musk's network, it really depends on if 80% of the potential customers (people with money to spend on the service) get saturated with ground-level 3G - 5G by the time the network is operational or not. Something else to consider, if the system allows for land-based carriers to tap into it and re-broadcast it on 5G (with different pricing). Imagine if there is no coverage in your area, and anyone can purchase a box to put on their roof that pulls down the satellite Internet and makes it available to everyone's 3G - 5G phones in the area. You lease the box from someone, and you get a commission on every client connection.