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This is already quite an achievement! In just 10 launches, SpaceX is operating the world's largest satellite constellation and can already provide broadband of

This is already quite an achievement! In just 10 launches, SpaceX is operating the world's largest satellite constellation and can already provide broadband of reasonable quality to some customers. In rural areas, I have struggled to catch weak LTE signals with fixed antennas that often didn't hit these speed and latency numbers. This absolutely seems on track to be an excellent alternative to rural LTE or existing satellite internet providers. If it gets better from here with more launches, it's all gravy as far as I'm concerned.

derekp7 6y ago
I would like to see a kit from SpaceX which provides a solar powered Starlink to LTE bridge. Such kits could be installed anywhere, and provide service to places such as farm communities (install them on top of grain silos, for example). That way Starlink could be available to more customers without them having to have their own premise equipment (beyond an LTE hotspot).
- SEJeff 6y ago
  I'd sort of expect LTE operators to pay SpaceX for kit to do literally this.
- grecy 6y ago
  I worked for the Telco that services all of Northern Canada (world's largest operating area for a telco). We installed one of the world's first 3G towers that uses only satellite as backbone. Think fly-in only communities that are thousands of kilometers away from anything in the Arctic. Many of our sites are served by radio backhaul for that reason. The sat backhaul tower is extremely expensive and temperamental. It does work, but not very well. 3G (and LTE) are not very fault tolerant, and phones drop calls when the quality of the call drops below thresholds that can't be set. AFAIK they have not installed another one because of all the problems. For data the cost is astronomical - many thousands of dollars per GB. Hopefully starlink can at least fix that.
  - ianai 6y ago
    This is what turns me away from the astronomers complaining about the constellations. They’re not interested at all in the community whose problems satnet helps resolve. Society has had plenty of time to run data lines out to the hardest to reach areas and clearly cannot and will not do it any other way.
    - shajznnckfke 6y ago
      I wouldn’t blame the astronomers for that. People who lead different lives get affected by technology in different ways. It’s good for everyone to tell the world how they are being affected. Ultimately people in positions of power are going to make decisions and it’s good for them (and activists, lobbyists, and advisors who they talk to) to have all the relevant information. It’s not necessary or possible for everyone to know how everyone else is affected before they speak about their own concerns.
    - labster 6y ago
      And in 10 years, Starship should make it possible to put more space observatories in orbit, so it should get better for the professional astronomers eventually. It'll still suck for amateur astronomers and photographers, though. Although, with the way 2020 is going, we'll probably miss observing the asteroid that kills us all because a Starlink got in the way of the observation.
      - gamegod 6y ago
        The reason we don't use space observatories as much anymore is because we have adaptive optics now and don't need them. The concerns of astronomers are real. It's not for Starlink to ruin our ability to observe the sky for all of humanity. Incredible entitlement.
        mynameisvlad 6y ago
        You can easily turn that last part around. It's not for astronomers to ruin our ability to provide essential (and yes, internet is essential at this point) services for billions of people around the world that otherwise can't get it. Incredible entitlement. It just depends on what you value more, observing the sky, or providing internet.
gdubs 6y ago
Yea, I’m currently on a mix of cellular and traditional satellite. The combo is fairly expensive but necessary because one or the other goes out on occasion. It’s fine, but ideally you don’t want to ever think about your internet. You just want it to work. No data cap, no noticeable latency.
shaklee3 6y ago
How could you possibly tell that they're able to provide reasonable quality to customers by looking at a single speed test? There is a whole bunch of other stuff that goes into running a network other than doing a single speed test. A lot of the things that people complain about other satellite providers fall into that category.
apatheticonion 6y ago
Australian (Sydney, 30 minutes train from CBD) here, I pay $60/m for 45mbps but my line potential is 35mbps. My average speed is around 20mbps (just ran a speedtest and it was 22mbps). Some places have 100mbps, but most don't live in those areas. I am lucky to get the speeds that I do, honestly. I'm watching both 5g and starlink with great interest as they will be up and running before the next infrastructure initiative by the government. Maybe Sydney is actually rural and we don't know it yet
- skissane 6y ago
  Unfortunately, I doubt Starlink will be generally available that close to Sydney CBD. The population density would be too high. Maybe Sydney’s rural fringe? (Dural? Glenorie? Maroota? Wiseman’s Ferry? Camden? Rural parts of Central Coast like Holgate, Lisarow, Somersby?)
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    Parts of australia are too rural for starlink... Without a ground station within ~500km you won't be getting service. That'll be the case right in the middle of australia I'd guess.

derekp7 6y ago

I would like to see a kit from SpaceX which provides a solar powered Starlink to LTE bridge. Such kits could be installed anywhere, and provide service to places such as farm communities (install them on top of grain silos, for example). That way Starlink could be available to more customers without them having to have their own premise equipment (beyond an LTE hotspot).

SEJeff 6y ago
I'd sort of expect LTE operators to pay SpaceX for kit to do literally this.
grecy 6y ago
I worked for the Telco that services all of Northern Canada (world's largest operating area for a telco). We installed one of the world's first 3G towers that uses only satellite as backbone. Think fly-in only communities that are thousands of kilometers away from anything in the Arctic. Many of our sites are served by radio backhaul for that reason. The sat backhaul tower is extremely expensive and temperamental. It does work, but not very well. 3G (and LTE) are not very fault tolerant, and phones drop calls when the quality of the call drops below thresholds that can't be set. AFAIK they have not installed another one because of all the problems. For data the cost is astronomical - many thousands of dollars per GB. Hopefully starlink can at least fix that.
- ianai 6y ago
  This is what turns me away from the astronomers complaining about the constellations. They’re not interested at all in the community whose problems satnet helps resolve. Society has had plenty of time to run data lines out to the hardest to reach areas and clearly cannot and will not do it any other way.
  - shajznnckfke 6y ago
    I wouldn’t blame the astronomers for that. People who lead different lives get affected by technology in different ways. It’s good for everyone to tell the world how they are being affected. Ultimately people in positions of power are going to make decisions and it’s good for them (and activists, lobbyists, and advisors who they talk to) to have all the relevant information. It’s not necessary or possible for everyone to know how everyone else is affected before they speak about their own concerns.
  - labster 6y ago
    And in 10 years, Starship should make it possible to put more space observatories in orbit, so it should get better for the professional astronomers eventually. It'll still suck for amateur astronomers and photographers, though. Although, with the way 2020 is going, we'll probably miss observing the asteroid that kills us all because a Starlink got in the way of the observation.
    - gamegod 6y ago
      The reason we don't use space observatories as much anymore is because we have adaptive optics now and don't need them. The concerns of astronomers are real. It's not for Starlink to ruin our ability to observe the sky for all of humanity. Incredible entitlement.
      - mynameisvlad 6y ago
        You can easily turn that last part around. It's not for astronomers to ruin our ability to provide essential (and yes, internet is essential at this point) services for billions of people around the world that otherwise can't get it. Incredible entitlement. It just depends on what you value more, observing the sky, or providing internet.

gdubs 6y ago

Yea, I’m currently on a mix of cellular and traditional satellite. The combo is fairly expensive but necessary because one or the other goes out on occasion. It’s fine, but ideally you don’t want to ever think about your internet. You just want it to work. No data cap, no noticeable latency.

shaklee3 6y ago

How could you possibly tell that they're able to provide reasonable quality to customers by looking at a single speed test? There is a whole bunch of other stuff that goes into running a network other than doing a single speed test. A lot of the things that people complain about other satellite providers fall into that category.

apatheticonion 6y ago

Australian (Sydney, 30 minutes train from CBD) here, I pay $60/m for 45mbps but my line potential is 35mbps. My average speed is around 20mbps (just ran a speedtest and it was 22mbps). Some places have 100mbps, but most don't live in those areas. I am lucky to get the speeds that I do, honestly. I'm watching both 5g and starlink with great interest as they will be up and running before the next infrastructure initiative by the government. Maybe Sydney is actually rural and we don't know it yet

skissane 6y ago
Unfortunately, I doubt Starlink will be generally available that close to Sydney CBD. The population density would be too high. Maybe Sydney’s rural fringe? (Dural? Glenorie? Maroota? Wiseman’s Ferry? Camden? Rural parts of Central Coast like Holgate, Lisarow, Somersby?)
- londons_explore 6y ago
  Parts of australia are too rural for starlink... Without a ground station within ~500km you won't be getting service. That'll be the case right in the middle of australia I'd guess.