4 ms·

I doubt it'd be legal to sell StarLink receivers in large parts of the continent. Has any nation ever successfully outlawed satellite reception? The roofs of b

I doubt it'd be legal to sell StarLink receivers in large parts of the continent. Has any nation ever successfully outlawed satellite reception? The roofs of buildings even in nations like Iran and KSA are studded with dishes.

jeroenhd 6y ago
India has banned most satellite telephones [1] (Inmarsat is still allowed apparently) and still catches people using them. There's a more complete list at [2]. Musk has already admitted that providing satellite services to countries like China can become a problem [3]. Countries that don't want StarLink and don't have the capabilities to take out LEO satellites might start to team up with China, Russia and other countries that do to protect their sovereignty. Of course there's no way to prevent hardware that someone managed to sneak in from connecting to the satellites. Those devices will all need to come from the black market though, severely limiting the reach and future business StarLink might have in such a country. [1]: http://www.gard.no/web/updates/content/26690148/ban-on-use-of-satellite-phones-in-india-6-years-on-and-violations-still-occur http://www.gard.no/web/updates/content/26690148/ban-on-use-o... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_phone#Countries_with_restrictions_on_use_of_satellite_phones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_phone#Countries_with... [3]: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-constellation-china-threat-2016-11 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-co...
- jessaustin 6y ago
  Few nations, especially in Africa, have the sort of control over the sale of small electronics that is envisioned here. One would hope that the monopoly providers wouldn't invest many resources in policing areas they don't even serve... Musk probably isn't relying on any one particular nation to validate his business plan.

jeroenhd 6y ago

India has banned most satellite telephones [1] (Inmarsat is still allowed apparently) and still catches people using them. There's a more complete list at [2]. Musk has already admitted that providing satellite services to countries like China can become a problem [3]. Countries that don't want StarLink and don't have the capabilities to take out LEO satellites might start to team up with China, Russia and other countries that do to protect their sovereignty. Of course there's no way to prevent hardware that someone managed to sneak in from connecting to the satellites. Those devices will all need to come from the black market though, severely limiting the reach and future business StarLink might have in such a country. [1]: http://www.gard.no/web/updates/content/26690148/ban-on-use-of-satellite-phones-in-india-6-years-on-and-violations-still-occur http://www.gard.no/web/updates/content/26690148/ban-on-use-o... [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_phone#Countries_with_restrictions_on_use_of_satellite_phones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_phone#Countries_with... [3]: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-constellation-china-threat-2016-11 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satellite-co...

jessaustin 6y ago
Few nations, especially in Africa, have the sort of control over the sale of small electronics that is envisioned here. One would hope that the monopoly providers wouldn't invest many resources in policing areas they don't even serve... Musk probably isn't relying on any one particular nation to validate his business plan.