3 ms·

direct to cellular via satellite is reducing all deadzones to zero, barring some mountains at angle just playing devil's advocate with the way I see it heading

dghlsakjg 2y ago
There are still significant portions of the world where having electricity, internet, and running water all working at the same time is not as common as you would hope. Expecting always on satellite connections in a lot of these places is asking for a lot.
- staunton 2y ago
  > Expecting always on satellite connections in a lot of these places is asking for a lot. It might be easier than having reliable power grids or running water supply. Assuming at least some of the satellite-internet projects work out (Starlink, Amazon's thing, Chinese thing, European thing, ...) all you need might be a fairly affordable (comparing to infrastructure for running water) hardware that can run on demand using batteries.
- yieldcrv 2y ago
  the needed infrastructure can be just at the passport checkpoints AST Spacemobile and Starlink's user experience will just require mobile phones. No adapters or base station. they'll find a way to power them, or extend signal from them. for the passport holder, that will just be client side and no connectivity necessary.
  - torstenvl 2y ago
    No. It isn't "just at the passport checkpoints." It's everywhere. Passports are the only form of ID most people have abroad that are recognized by foreign governments and establishments. Good luck to the French dude trying to drink in the U.S. without a passport, or getting stopped by the police in Łodz and not having any valid identification on you.
    - f33d5173 2y ago
      Any government id eg drivers license will work for that.
      - tsimionescu 2y ago
        This is very much false in much of the world. Especially if you have foreign paperwork, it's very likely a passport will be required by any kind of official asking for any other paperwork from you.
      - Kwpolska 2y ago
        15 years ago, a Polish driver named "Prawo Jazdy" was causing a real nuisance to the Irish police, seemingly all over the country. Turns out they couldn't parse the document and they were looking for a man named "Driver's Licence". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7899171.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7899171.... Nowadays, the licenses in the EU are standardized, but at the same time, they are completely unreadable if you don't know the standard, since data fields are numbered, but not usually described in English.
      - monksy 2y ago
        Nope that'll get you threatened to have the police called on you at the Walmart in Burlington NC. (Austrian federal ID trying to buy alcohol)
      - RoyalHenOil 2y ago
        I am a dual citizen, and I have not found this to be the case in either of my two countries. Neither of them will accept photo IDs issued by the other, except for passports.
      - vladvasiliu 2y ago
        Don’t know about Lodz, but you can absolutely not get a drink in Utah with a French driver’s license. They insisted on a passport since I was from out of state.
woodruffw 2y ago
I've been in some very steep mountain valleys :-) But as others have noted: assuming satellite cellular access is also a big leap. I once had someone check my papers by taking my passport, writing a copy of the entry visa number on it (itself hand-written), and then finding me hours later after they were able to find a landline to call the border service with.
- whimsicalism 2y ago
  it seems like the exact same would be possible with an app
  - woodruffw 2y ago
    You're going to use an app over a landline?
    - whimsicalism 2y ago
      if my app has a code, presumably they're equally able to verify it over a landline
      - woodruffw 2y ago
        Sure, assuming the phone isn't dead. I've also been in disaster-stricken places where that wasn't a certainty.
lxgr 2y ago
Even in a world with ubiquitous connectivity, this introduced a single point of failure. At least some offline capabilities are essential for something as crucial as travel documents.

dghlsakjg 2y ago

There are still significant portions of the world where having electricity, internet, and running water all working at the same time is not as common as you would hope. Expecting always on satellite connections in a lot of these places is asking for a lot.

staunton 2y ago
> Expecting always on satellite connections in a lot of these places is asking for a lot. It might be easier than having reliable power grids or running water supply. Assuming at least some of the satellite-internet projects work out (Starlink, Amazon's thing, Chinese thing, European thing, ...) all you need might be a fairly affordable (comparing to infrastructure for running water) hardware that can run on demand using batteries.
yieldcrv 2y ago
the needed infrastructure can be just at the passport checkpoints AST Spacemobile and Starlink's user experience will just require mobile phones. No adapters or base station. they'll find a way to power them, or extend signal from them. for the passport holder, that will just be client side and no connectivity necessary.
- torstenvl 2y ago
  No. It isn't "just at the passport checkpoints." It's everywhere. Passports are the only form of ID most people have abroad that are recognized by foreign governments and establishments. Good luck to the French dude trying to drink in the U.S. without a passport, or getting stopped by the police in Łodz and not having any valid identification on you.
  - f33d5173 2y ago
    Any government id eg drivers license will work for that.
    - tsimionescu 2y ago
      This is very much false in much of the world. Especially if you have foreign paperwork, it's very likely a passport will be required by any kind of official asking for any other paperwork from you.
    - Kwpolska 2y ago
      15 years ago, a Polish driver named "Prawo Jazdy" was causing a real nuisance to the Irish police, seemingly all over the country. Turns out they couldn't parse the document and they were looking for a man named "Driver's Licence". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7899171.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7899171.... Nowadays, the licenses in the EU are standardized, but at the same time, they are completely unreadable if you don't know the standard, since data fields are numbered, but not usually described in English.
    - monksy 2y ago
      Nope that'll get you threatened to have the police called on you at the Walmart in Burlington NC. (Austrian federal ID trying to buy alcohol)
    - RoyalHenOil 2y ago
      I am a dual citizen, and I have not found this to be the case in either of my two countries. Neither of them will accept photo IDs issued by the other, except for passports.
    - vladvasiliu 2y ago
      Don’t know about Lodz, but you can absolutely not get a drink in Utah with a French driver’s license. They insisted on a passport since I was from out of state.

woodruffw 2y ago

I've been in some very steep mountain valleys :-) But as others have noted: assuming satellite cellular access is also a big leap. I once had someone check my papers by taking my passport, writing a copy of the entry visa number on it (itself hand-written), and then finding me hours later after they were able to find a landline to call the border service with.

whimsicalism 2y ago
it seems like the exact same would be possible with an app
- woodruffw 2y ago
  You're going to use an app over a landline?
  - whimsicalism 2y ago
    if my app has a code, presumably they're equally able to verify it over a landline
    - woodruffw 2y ago
      Sure, assuming the phone isn't dead. I've also been in disaster-stricken places where that wasn't a certainty.

lxgr 2y ago

Even in a world with ubiquitous connectivity, this introduced a single point of failure. At least some offline capabilities are essential for something as crucial as travel documents.