3 ms·

> It was technically possible to wire up entire countries and continents for electricity and phone service, so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing

by cesarb 3y ago

> It was technically possible to wire up entire countries and continents for electricity and phone service, so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing the same with fibre. Wiring up some places for electricity is really hard. I live in a huge country (Brazil) with a sprawling integrated electricity network, but there are still over a hundred small localities (source: https://www.ons.org.br/AcervoDigitalDocumentosEPublicacoes/RT-ONS%20DPL%200528-2022%20-%20PEN%20SISOL%202023.pdf https://www.ons.org.br/AcervoDigitalDocumentosEPublicacoes/R...) which are not yet connected to that network. Most of them are deep within the Amazon forest, a few are in a state (Roraima) which is separated from the rest by the Amazon forest (though that state used to have a connection to Venezuela's electricity network), and one is on an island (Fernando de Noronha) which is far enough from the continent that a submarine cable would not be easy.

redox99 3y ago
Nowadays shouldn't it be easy to install solar panels and megapacks, and operate independently from the grid?
- cesarb 3y ago
  Yes, but in the context of this thread ("[...] so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing the same with fibre"), that would be like installing a wired phone or network service which reaches only as far as the same city. That is, you can operate an independent network, but what you want is to network with the rest of the world; and even if doing it with optical fiber is as easy as connecting to the country's main electric network, there are places where connecting to that electric network is already hard.
  - throw0101c 3y ago
    > Yes, but in the context of this thread ("[...] so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing the same with fibre"), that would be like installing a wired phone or network service which reaches only as far as the same city. The context of this thread is: if you could technically string power and POTS lines, why can't you string fibre? Note what you, yourself quote: the same with fibre. It pre-supposes the other infrastructure was setup.

by cesarb 3y ago

redox99 3y ago

Nowadays shouldn't it be easy to install solar panels and megapacks, and operate independently from the grid?

cesarb 3y ago
Yes, but in the context of this thread ("[...] so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing the same with fibre"), that would be like installing a wired phone or network service which reaches only as far as the same city. That is, you can operate an independent network, but what you want is to network with the rest of the world; and even if doing it with optical fiber is as easy as connecting to the country's main electric network, there are places where connecting to that electric network is already hard.
- throw0101c 3y ago
  > Yes, but in the context of this thread ("[...] so I doubt there are any technical hurdles in doing the same with fibre"), that would be like installing a wired phone or network service which reaches only as far as the same city. The context of this thread is: if you could technically string power and POTS lines, why can't you string fibre? Note what you, yourself quote: the same with fibre. It pre-supposes the other infrastructure was setup.