4 ms·

Saint Helena is another example of an island with an internet monopoly which outlaws satellite terminals, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37645945 https:/

Saint Helena is another example of an island with an internet monopoly which outlaws satellite terminals, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37645945 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37645945 ("Saint Helena Island Communications" (2023), 145 comments)

lxgr 2y ago
At least Saint Helena recently got a submarine cable. I wonder if part of that deal was exclusivity for the operator(s) funding it (hopefully for a limited time). It would obviously better to make that happen without government restrictions on individual usage, but I can see how recouping a significant private investment for a few thousand people is harder than Starlink just providing services using the satellites that are overflying all of Earth anyway, whether they get used in a given region or not.
- razakel 2y ago
  >I wonder if part of that deal was exclusivity for the operator(s) funding it (hopefully for a limited time). Google is the owner. The EU funded the connection.
  - lxgr 2y ago
    Wow, it's worse than I imagined: https://www.kentik.com/blog/ending-saint-helenas-exile-from-the-internet/ https://www.kentik.com/blog/ending-saint-helenas-exile-from-... > While internet service has improved exponentially in Saint Helena, tariffs are still quite expensive when compared to the average local income, and basic users face a data cap which seems hard to justify given the most expensive component — the submarine cable — was essentially gifted to Saint Helena by European taxpayers. > Lastly, Saint Helena islanders connect to the internet via ADSL2+ copper lines, meaning they rarely achieve more than 10Mbps download. The SHG began building their own FTTH network, but a major issue is Sure’s license to operate, which states that the SHG is required to compensate Sure for all its infrastructure if their exclusivity is not protected.

lxgr 2y ago

At least Saint Helena recently got a submarine cable. I wonder if part of that deal was exclusivity for the operator(s) funding it (hopefully for a limited time). It would obviously better to make that happen without government restrictions on individual usage, but I can see how recouping a significant private investment for a few thousand people is harder than Starlink just providing services using the satellites that are overflying all of Earth anyway, whether they get used in a given region or not.

razakel 2y ago
>I wonder if part of that deal was exclusivity for the operator(s) funding it (hopefully for a limited time). Google is the owner. The EU funded the connection.
- lxgr 2y ago
  Wow, it's worse than I imagined: https://www.kentik.com/blog/ending-saint-helenas-exile-from-the-internet/ https://www.kentik.com/blog/ending-saint-helenas-exile-from-... > While internet service has improved exponentially in Saint Helena, tariffs are still quite expensive when compared to the average local income, and basic users face a data cap which seems hard to justify given the most expensive component — the submarine cable — was essentially gifted to Saint Helena by European taxpayers. > Lastly, Saint Helena islanders connect to the internet via ADSL2+ copper lines, meaning they rarely achieve more than 10Mbps download. The SHG began building their own FTTH network, but a major issue is Sure’s license to operate, which states that the SHG is required to compensate Sure for all its infrastructure if their exclusivity is not protected.