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Ask HN:Will internet cost drop when SPACE X satellites start providing internet?
The cost of internet service is mounting while speeds are not improving. A reasonable high-speed intent plan costs $60/month on average. I was thinking if prices would drop when SPACEX satellites start providing internet.
- tesomayn 7y agoProbably not. Companies are out to make money, that's all. When you see these ISPs providing "free" internet for poor areas, they do it for publicity.
- dasentinel 7y agoThat should depend on the protocol they are using. If it is some new experimental protocol the cost will rise first before it normalises.
- xxsitek 7y agoYes
- sloaken 7y agoI would be very shocked if prices when up. Unless they are targeting a niche market, I expect prices will drop. in other words, what percentage of the market are they targeting? If it is just people who do not have access, then no it will not. If they are targeting people with crappy internet, then the price of crappy internet will probably go down to stay competitive. In addition it depends on quality. If you are a twitch game player, you are willing to pay for whomever provides the least lag time.
- notahacker 7y agoSatellite broadband is expensive and slow relative to other forms of internet connectivity, and whilst Space-X (and OneWeb et al) might well bring the cost of satellite internet connectivity down, I don't see them undercutting the people sending data down your existing phone lines any time soon
- segmondy 7y agoBasic economy says more supply will bring price down. So yes, prices will drop if the supply is significant. If they provide internet to 100k people it's not significant. If they can provide internet to 50million households yup. I'm assuming in the US/North American market.