4 ms·

Something feels very wrong about covering the entire planet in satellites just so rural residents of the developed world can get faster internet. Sure, in theo

Something feels very wrong about covering the entire planet in satellites just so rural residents of the developed world can get faster internet. Sure, in theory, the entire world can have access but that won't come for free and won't be in any way affordable by the vast majority of the world population.

mrfusion 6y ago
Quite a straw man you’ve got there.
- vidanay 6y ago
  If only it had a brain.
wmf 6y ago
A village sharing a Starlink dish could be quite affordable.
- zaroth 6y ago
  Indeed, combine a SpaceX backhaul with a 4G base station and you can provide essential service to even extremely remote or rural communities at an incredibly reasonable price.
  - Klathmon 6y ago
    Throw some solar panels and batteries on there and you can have portable self-contained 4g base station that you can drop off anywhere covered by starlink and sunlight.
- pkaye 6y ago
  There was a Native American tribe living in a remote area that got early access to Starlink. Now their children can do remote learning and everyone can get remote healthcare. https://www.pcmag.com/news/native-american-tribe-gets-early-access-to-spacexs-starlink-and-says-its https://www.pcmag.com/news/native-american-tribe-gets-early-...
- core-questions 6y ago
  Seems like it would be an easy thing to set up with various foreign aid programs, as well. Sponsor the internet for a village, akin to getting a foster child or similar
2stop 6y ago
What ever internet connection you used had a MUCH larger footprint on the world than starlink ever would... Why does starlink "feel very wrong". Satellites are small... and 2 miles up, the world is even bigger than it is down here.
bpodgursky 6y ago
> won't be in any way affordable by the vast majority of the world population I think you have a pretty misguided view of the developing world and their buying power. There are a lot of middle-income countries with reasonable spending power, but lousy infrastructure, in-between the extremes of the undeveloped Congo (which yes, will take some time to get Starlink penetration) and residents of a NYC condo.
- grecy 6y ago
  FWIW, I used 3G wireless in fairly remote parts of the Congo and it was fast.
anchpop 6y ago
Why wouldn't it be affordable? As long as there's enough bandwidth couldn't SpaceX just offer its ISP services at marginal cost? In any case it's not like people who can't afford it are made worse off by it being theoretically available to them
nickik 6y ago
Do you think the non-developed world only consists of dirt poor peasants? There are lots of people in these countries who this service would help. What you also seem to ignore is that many business in these countries would be helped by this. Another thing you ignore is that if you combine Starlink with a mobile station you can potentially provide internet to a whole village. Also, the prices will likely not be the same everywhere. SpaceX will want to get higher utility of the overall system and having unused sats fly over Africa is pointless. Lowering the price in some regions to get full utilization if an economic non-brainier if they would actually have issue selling the service. In addition, the idea that this service wouldn't be worth it for rural people in the first world is very questionable. Don't rural people deserve good internet?

mrfusion 6y ago

Quite a straw man you’ve got there.

vidanay 6y ago
If only it had a brain.

wmf 6y ago

A village sharing a Starlink dish could be quite affordable.

zaroth 6y ago
Indeed, combine a SpaceX backhaul with a 4G base station and you can provide essential service to even extremely remote or rural communities at an incredibly reasonable price.
- Klathmon 6y ago
  Throw some solar panels and batteries on there and you can have portable self-contained 4g base station that you can drop off anywhere covered by starlink and sunlight.
pkaye 6y ago
There was a Native American tribe living in a remote area that got early access to Starlink. Now their children can do remote learning and everyone can get remote healthcare. https://www.pcmag.com/news/native-american-tribe-gets-early-access-to-spacexs-starlink-and-says-its https://www.pcmag.com/news/native-american-tribe-gets-early-...
core-questions 6y ago
Seems like it would be an easy thing to set up with various foreign aid programs, as well. Sponsor the internet for a village, akin to getting a foster child or similar

2stop 6y ago

What ever internet connection you used had a MUCH larger footprint on the world than starlink ever would... Why does starlink "feel very wrong". Satellites are small... and 2 miles up, the world is even bigger than it is down here.

bpodgursky 6y ago

> won't be in any way affordable by the vast majority of the world population I think you have a pretty misguided view of the developing world and their buying power. There are a lot of middle-income countries with reasonable spending power, but lousy infrastructure, in-between the extremes of the undeveloped Congo (which yes, will take some time to get Starlink penetration) and residents of a NYC condo.

grecy 6y ago
FWIW, I used 3G wireless in fairly remote parts of the Congo and it was fast.

anchpop 6y ago

Why wouldn't it be affordable? As long as there's enough bandwidth couldn't SpaceX just offer its ISP services at marginal cost? In any case it's not like people who can't afford it are made worse off by it being theoretically available to them

nickik 6y ago

Do you think the non-developed world only consists of dirt poor peasants? There are lots of people in these countries who this service would help. What you also seem to ignore is that many business in these countries would be helped by this. Another thing you ignore is that if you combine Starlink with a mobile station you can potentially provide internet to a whole village. Also, the prices will likely not be the same everywhere. SpaceX will want to get higher utility of the overall system and having unused sats fly over Africa is pointless. Lowering the price in some regions to get full utilization if an economic non-brainier if they would actually have issue selling the service. In addition, the idea that this service wouldn't be worth it for rural people in the first world is very questionable. Don't rural people deserve good internet?