4 ms·

> Starlink/OneWeb/Kuiper solve a much bigger problem than just rural US coverage. Such as? The only use cases it addresses are upper class users who want to go

> Starlink/OneWeb/Kuiper solve a much bigger problem than just rural US coverage. Such as? The only use cases it addresses are upper class users who want to go off-grid, and state/military operations (Already being tested by US forces btw). > Not necessarily true due to the speed of transmission in fiber vs. speed of light in vacuum (once the Starlink laser links are set up). Absolutely misleading argument. I can push a trickle of water at the speed of light it would still not allow me to watch netflix in 4k. The issue with satellite internet is channel capacity. Also bandwith wise the satellite has to keep plexing between all user nodes in it's range. You go beyond a few thousands users and your speed starts dropping. that can only be addressed by adding more and more satellites, where do you stop?

gamegoblin 5y ago
> Such as? The only use cases it addresses are upper class users who want to go off-grid There are a lot of close-to-poverty-line indigenous communities in the US and Canada adopting Starlink. e.g.: [1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/remote-tribe-says-spacex-starlink-catapulted-them-into-21st-century/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/remot... [2] https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-first-canada-customer-indigenous-community-pikangikum-musk-2020-12 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-fir... There are already loads of NGOs (e.g. [3]) operating in rural developing nations to install solar power for village community centers. It's a small step to install a shared satellite internet terminal at the same time. The jump in quality of life and opportunities from zero connectivity to a 100MBps shared village link is massive. You hugely expand access to telehealth, weather information, education opportunities, etc. [3] https://www.honnoldfoundation.org https://www.honnoldfoundation.org

gamegoblin 5y ago

> Such as? The only use cases it addresses are upper class users who want to go off-grid There are a lot of close-to-poverty-line indigenous communities in the US and Canada adopting Starlink. e.g.: [1] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/remote-tribe-says-spacex-starlink-catapulted-them-into-21st-century/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/remot... [2] https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-first-canada-customer-indigenous-community-pikangikum-musk-2020-12 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-fir... There are already loads of NGOs (e.g. [3]) operating in rural developing nations to install solar power for village community centers. It's a small step to install a shared satellite internet terminal at the same time. The jump in quality of life and opportunities from zero connectivity to a 100MBps shared village link is massive. You hugely expand access to telehealth, weather information, education opportunities, etc. [3] https://www.honnoldfoundation.org https://www.honnoldfoundation.org