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Bill Gates's barbed comments pop Google's broadband balloons

13 points by eplanit 13y ago

pasbesoin 13y ago
Something to reflect upon: With this deployment, Google will -- frequency licensing agreements and such aside -- own the physical layer. Presuming encryption keeps it opaque to outside scrutiny.
cup 13y ago
Hes right and hes wrong. Bill (and Melinda) Gates is having a phenomenal effect in Africa which I have the privlige of being involved in first hand. Yet at the same time, Africa doesn't stop with health issues. The local information technology knowledge base in Africa is exploding and improving hard infrastructure to the continent will have a profoundly positive effect on African countries breaking free from the oft stereotypical mould of 'poor chaotic corrupt third world nations'.
- shirro 13y ago
  Many countries in Asia that were poor and underdeveloped when I was a child now have better standards of living than I had in a developed country at the time. Africa is a big place but some countries are making clear progress. It is wonderful to have Bill and Melinda come in and give your free access to drugs but if you have a strong economy you can look after your own which is far more sustainable. Cheaper rockets might seem like a plaything until you consider poor countries having better access to geospacial data for crops planning or easier access to education. Same goes for Internet.
ihsw 13y ago
A reliable and ubiquitous means of communication is essential for logistics. If we need to know where and when we need vaccines, food, and water then what do we have now? Shoddy cellular infrastructure that's poorly reliable and easily disrupted. What is logistics?[1] The management and flow of resources from the point of origin to the point of consumption, for example food items, materials, equipment, liquids, and staff. Abstract items like inventory information and security information are also essential to everyday life in developed countries. Materials, distribution, and supply-chain management -- the bedrock of business development in developed nations -- require consistently available communications infrastructure, and there is no Comcast or AT&T in Africa. Those that rise to meet the challenge get embroiled in political infighting and corruption. There's something to be said about air supremacy, and there certainly is none in Africa. What other air-based telecommunications infrastructure is there? Satellite communications is expensive and extremely difficult to implement. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics
- marshray 13y ago
  > What other air-based telecommunications infrastructure is there? Radio.
  - tzs 13y ago
    In particular, look at what the hams have done with cheap, low power radios. Many take it as a challenge to see how far they can reach on low power. This is called QRP. The QRP hobbyists regularly communicate over hundreds or even a thousand miles on a few milliwatts of power. The record is 1650 miles with a 1 microwatt (micro, not milli!) transmitter.

13 points by eplanit 13y ago

Something to reflect upon: With this deployment, Google will -- frequency licensing agreements and such aside -- own the physical layer. Presuming encryption keeps it opaque to outside scrutiny.

cup 13y ago

Hes right and hes wrong. Bill (and Melinda) Gates is having a phenomenal effect in Africa which I have the privlige of being involved in first hand. Yet at the same time, Africa doesn't stop with health issues. The local information technology knowledge base in Africa is exploding and improving hard infrastructure to the continent will have a profoundly positive effect on African countries breaking free from the oft stereotypical mould of 'poor chaotic corrupt third world nations'.

shirro 13y ago
Many countries in Asia that were poor and underdeveloped when I was a child now have better standards of living than I had in a developed country at the time. Africa is a big place but some countries are making clear progress. It is wonderful to have Bill and Melinda come in and give your free access to drugs but if you have a strong economy you can look after your own which is far more sustainable. Cheaper rockets might seem like a plaything until you consider poor countries having better access to geospacial data for crops planning or easier access to education. Same goes for Internet.

ihsw 13y ago

A reliable and ubiquitous means of communication is essential for logistics. If we need to know where and when we need vaccines, food, and water then what do we have now? Shoddy cellular infrastructure that's poorly reliable and easily disrupted. What is logistics?[1] The management and flow of resources from the point of origin to the point of consumption, for example food items, materials, equipment, liquids, and staff. Abstract items like inventory information and security information are also essential to everyday life in developed countries. Materials, distribution, and supply-chain management -- the bedrock of business development in developed nations -- require consistently available communications infrastructure, and there is no Comcast or AT&T in Africa. Those that rise to meet the challenge get embroiled in political infighting and corruption. There's something to be said about air supremacy, and there certainly is none in Africa. What other air-based telecommunications infrastructure is there? Satellite communications is expensive and extremely difficult to implement. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics

marshray 13y ago
> What other air-based telecommunications infrastructure is there? Radio.
- tzs 13y ago
  In particular, look at what the hams have done with cheap, low power radios. Many take it as a challenge to see how far they can reach on low power. This is called QRP. The QRP hobbyists regularly communicate over hundreds or even a thousand miles on a few milliwatts of power. The record is 1650 miles with a 1 microwatt (micro, not milli!) transmitter.