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5G is going to kill any prospects this internet service will have in big cities within the next 5 or so years. That leaves the rural and less served areas. Can

5G is going to kill any prospects this internet service will have in big cities within the next 5 or so years. That leaves the rural and less served areas. Can the service be cheap enough without subsidies when a big chunk of the population won't be using it? 10 years ago this would have been a great business. I suspect the business will end up being a place to sink money for Space X.

s_y_n_t_a_x 8y ago
I think you underestimate how much of America is "rural area" , that alone is a huge market that towers will never fill.
- unityByFreedom 8y ago
  A lot of area with few customers. Will this tech truly work well? I recall using a satellite dish for access to more TV channels years ago was never quite reliable enough to be enjoyable. One storm or decent cloud cover and it was out. This feels like another of Musk's ideas that's like, "give me a ton of money and I'll make this happen, and it only works if I can launch 100 satellites which will cost a few trillion" How many of these have panned out? When has Musk made a profit? Will investors do due diligence this time, or just throw money at him because they perceive him as successful, despite the fact that his only profit came from a lucky website sale just before the dot com bubble burst? I guess banks will pump this so they can get the business, and the general economy will be left to absorb the blow when this fails to meet expectations, like the rest of Musk's promises.
  - derekp7 8y ago
    People that are a lot smarter and more educated in this subject matter than myself have looked this idea over (at least I hope so). And based on my level of understanding, the phased array antennas should be able to dynamically adapt to interference similar to how MIMO antennas work on wifi routers (the ones that have 2 - 4 antennas on them). At least is seems like a plausible enough idea that multiple other companies are going to be attempting the same thing. The legg up that Spacex has is potentially very low cost launches on reused rockets. But I have a strong feeling that the major cost savings will only appear if and when BFR is ready (and if it does what is claimed).
    - unityByFreedom 8y ago
      Musk continues to promise more and deliver less. In my opinion, the fact that he's never delivered a profitable company disqualifies him from leading any major venture. > People that are a lot smarter and more educated in this subject matter than myself have looked this idea over (at least I hope so) This was often said of companies before the dot-com bust, and very often said of Enron. Everyone thought someone else before them had done due diligence. Now that the economy has been doing well for awhile, it's worth taking another look at ideas put forth as "it can't fail".
      - s_y_n_t_a_x 8y ago
        It seems you're attacking Musk as a person more than the idea. SpaceX is doing undeniably well, who you can attribute that to is up for debate, but my point is you should be critiquing the idea, not the man. How about hope for the best and if you don't believe in them, then don't invest? Imo it's a really good idea, and I'm glad someone is trying to solve the broadband issue in rural America, because there's a serious one. I live out here, you're out of touch if you don't think there's a market.
bsmith 8y ago
To turn this idea on its head...maybe SpaceX will be able to compete with Verizon/AT&T etc. by providing a global Internet service that also has some way of connecting to phones. I'm imagining having an Internet and cell phone plan in one, all powered by Starlink, with no roaming or other B.S. to deal with.

s_y_n_t_a_x 8y ago

I think you underestimate how much of America is "rural area" , that alone is a huge market that towers will never fill.

unityByFreedom 8y ago
A lot of area with few customers. Will this tech truly work well? I recall using a satellite dish for access to more TV channels years ago was never quite reliable enough to be enjoyable. One storm or decent cloud cover and it was out. This feels like another of Musk's ideas that's like, "give me a ton of money and I'll make this happen, and it only works if I can launch 100 satellites which will cost a few trillion" How many of these have panned out? When has Musk made a profit? Will investors do due diligence this time, or just throw money at him because they perceive him as successful, despite the fact that his only profit came from a lucky website sale just before the dot com bubble burst? I guess banks will pump this so they can get the business, and the general economy will be left to absorb the blow when this fails to meet expectations, like the rest of Musk's promises.
- derekp7 8y ago
  People that are a lot smarter and more educated in this subject matter than myself have looked this idea over (at least I hope so). And based on my level of understanding, the phased array antennas should be able to dynamically adapt to interference similar to how MIMO antennas work on wifi routers (the ones that have 2 - 4 antennas on them). At least is seems like a plausible enough idea that multiple other companies are going to be attempting the same thing. The legg up that Spacex has is potentially very low cost launches on reused rockets. But I have a strong feeling that the major cost savings will only appear if and when BFR is ready (and if it does what is claimed).
  - unityByFreedom 8y ago
    Musk continues to promise more and deliver less. In my opinion, the fact that he's never delivered a profitable company disqualifies him from leading any major venture. > People that are a lot smarter and more educated in this subject matter than myself have looked this idea over (at least I hope so) This was often said of companies before the dot-com bust, and very often said of Enron. Everyone thought someone else before them had done due diligence. Now that the economy has been doing well for awhile, it's worth taking another look at ideas put forth as "it can't fail".
    - s_y_n_t_a_x 8y ago
      It seems you're attacking Musk as a person more than the idea. SpaceX is doing undeniably well, who you can attribute that to is up for debate, but my point is you should be critiquing the idea, not the man. How about hope for the best and if you don't believe in them, then don't invest? Imo it's a really good idea, and I'm glad someone is trying to solve the broadband issue in rural America, because there's a serious one. I live out here, you're out of touch if you don't think there's a market.

bsmith 8y ago

To turn this idea on its head...maybe SpaceX will be able to compete with Verizon/AT&T etc. by providing a global Internet service that also has some way of connecting to phones. I'm imagining having an Internet and cell phone plan in one, all powered by Starlink, with no roaming or other B.S. to deal with.