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I think it's less an existential threat than forcing them into specific geographic areas where they can still compete favorably. I doubt your Starlink speeds w

I think it's less an existential threat than forcing them into specific geographic areas where they can still compete favorably. I doubt your Starlink speeds will be anything special in a heavily populated area where people are sharing the spectrum, and that heavy population means that fiber is feasible. Fiber means Starlink is competing against Gigabit plus speeds, delivered individually and not shared (to the degree that the ISP provides enough capacity where they aggregate the connections). Rural areas and coverage across most/all the United States, even in areas where only satellite phones worked previously, are major draws IMO though.

stoneman24 6y ago
Agree with this, there’s plenty of areas (Eg non central belt of Scotland from my own experience) outside of cities, where the current provider is the only choice even though the service is slow and unreliable. Starlink could really appeal and gain a solid user base, very quickly.
- shaklee3 6y ago
  Starlink is not going to be for end users most likely. The terminal, by all accounts so far, will be far more expensive than a geo terminal due to the motor and the phased array. I guess if you're willing to pay for it, it will certainly solve that problem, but there aren't enough of those customers to be profitable.
  - wahern 6y ago
    There's no need for a motor; that's what the phased array antennas are for. 802.11ac packages already implement MIMO-based beamforming, and I think there are already speciality 802.11ac packages using phased array for backhaul radio links. Phased array beamforming is a matter of size and processing power, but nothing different from cutting edge WiFi and 5G products, and not much different from what's already deployed in many laptops and cellphones. The entire software and hardware stack, including at the consumer level, is already capable of real-time, electronic beamforming. The technology for the Starlink terminals is well established and it could be done cheaply, it's just a matter of whether Starlink has the manufacturing pipeline primed. Just like with rockets and electric cars, all the pieces exist and are relatively mature. It's just a matter of assembling them cost effectively, and that happens to be Elon Musk's special gift.
    - shaklee3 6y ago
      I know that, but there IS a motor. Elon has said this himself. what you are describing is far more expensive than a phased array with the scan needed for no motor. It is not a solved, inexpensive problem. 5G and wifi use significantly lower frequencies, which is much easier and cheaper to implement the phased array. Starlink is Ku and Ka band. There are no examples of a consumer version of these that is cheap enough. The only thing that came close is the oneweb, but that's only Ku, and it only exists in a Wyler tweet.

stoneman24 6y ago

Agree with this, there’s plenty of areas (Eg non central belt of Scotland from my own experience) outside of cities, where the current provider is the only choice even though the service is slow and unreliable. Starlink could really appeal and gain a solid user base, very quickly.

shaklee3 6y ago
Starlink is not going to be for end users most likely. The terminal, by all accounts so far, will be far more expensive than a geo terminal due to the motor and the phased array. I guess if you're willing to pay for it, it will certainly solve that problem, but there aren't enough of those customers to be profitable.
- wahern 6y ago
  There's no need for a motor; that's what the phased array antennas are for. 802.11ac packages already implement MIMO-based beamforming, and I think there are already speciality 802.11ac packages using phased array for backhaul radio links. Phased array beamforming is a matter of size and processing power, but nothing different from cutting edge WiFi and 5G products, and not much different from what's already deployed in many laptops and cellphones. The entire software and hardware stack, including at the consumer level, is already capable of real-time, electronic beamforming. The technology for the Starlink terminals is well established and it could be done cheaply, it's just a matter of whether Starlink has the manufacturing pipeline primed. Just like with rockets and electric cars, all the pieces exist and are relatively mature. It's just a matter of assembling them cost effectively, and that happens to be Elon Musk's special gift.
  - shaklee3 6y ago
    I know that, but there IS a motor. Elon has said this himself. what you are describing is far more expensive than a phased array with the scan needed for no motor. It is not a solved, inexpensive problem. 5G and wifi use significantly lower frequencies, which is much easier and cheaper to implement the phased array. Starlink is Ku and Ka band. There are no examples of a consumer version of these that is cheap enough. The only thing that came close is the oneweb, but that's only Ku, and it only exists in a Wyler tweet.