Will break first world broadband monopolies, force prices down, and perhaps destroy the terrestrial industry - from a profit POV.
Balloon net in conjunction, to act as towers?
FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
141–150 of 331 posts
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#142Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#143Satellite internet service should provide major operational cash flow for SpaceX. That too on recurring basis.
Rocket launches generate revenue once per launch and for the foreseeable future, there will only a limited number launches per year.
Very good move by SpaceX.
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
It will not affect it in any way. They have released their plans for Starlink and there will be a "blackout" zone over China, so China doesn't shoot down their satellites. In 2007, China shot down FY-1C as a test of a kinetic kill vehicle (leaving tons of high speed space debris). Unless they receive approval from China to broadcast, they won't over China. Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-internet-satell…
China won't shoot down commercial satellites, they'll just either jam the signal, or block ownership of the ground terminals. Shooting down satellites is very expensive, and would cause an incredible hue and cry internationally. It's one thing to shoot down one of your own defunct satellites, quite another thing to shoot down someone else's.
China might or might not shoot down the satellites, but the FCC would absolutely not have authorized the satellite network had SpaceX been so blatantly antagonistic towards China as to provide service there.
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#145Background section from one of the attachments to that announcement: On November 15, 2016, SpaceX filed an application requesting authority for its proposed NGSO FSS satellite system, comprising 4,425 satellites in 83 orbital planes, at an approximate altitude of 1,110 to 1,325 kilometers. In this application, SpaceX proposes to operate in the 10.7-12.7 GHz, 13.85-14.5 GHz, 17.8-18.6 GHz, 18.8-19.3 GHz, 27.5-29.1 GHz…
Out of curiosity, dont they have to ask other bodies like European Union or other countries for permission as well? Those satellites wont fly over usa only, which is fcc oversight.
Also reversing my question - if they would get denied, could they form company in EU and still shoot satellites from there based on EU permission?
Just curiosity of a hacker in me pushes out these questions ;)
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. While not as profound as bringing access to the developing world, this will also be a major win for people looking to live alternative lifestyles, i.e. perpetual traveling, van life etc, where keeping a consistent internet connection is the one thing holding many back.
You can get decent 4G internet plans already in most parts of the world. While this will have better coverage of rural areas, mobile internet is very adequate for the van lifestyle.
Imagine living on a cruise ship though!
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get decent 4G internet plans already in most parts of the world. While this will have better coverage of rural areas, mobile internet is very adequate for the van lifestyle.
That really depends on how much bandwidth you need. Several aspects of remote working like video conferencing large file transfers are too demanding for 4G in terms of bandwidth and transfer caps.
Wouldn't the latency of a sat connection interfere with something real-time like video conferencing?
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get decent 4G internet plans already in most parts of the world. While this will have better coverage of rural areas, mobile internet is very adequate for the van lifestyle.
That really depends on how much bandwidth you need. Several aspects of remote working like video conferencing large file transfers are too demanding for 4G in terms of bandwidth and transfer caps.
Satellite is worse, so if you can't get it done with 4G you won't be doing it with satellite.
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's still going to be more expensive than wired Internet. In the developing world where PTTs impose crazy prices they will impose those costs on top of whatever SpaceX charges.
No chance it's going to be more expensive than comparable wired - fiber or cable - Internet. You're leaving out the vast cost to build & maintain the wired infrastructure. Tax payers & consumers in those developing nations have to pay for that. That cost has to be included with the monthly fees to do a serious comparison.
The cost of building wired infrastructure has an inverse relationship with population density. This might be more expensive than wired internet in dense cities. The metal of city buildings and the high density of transmitters might make the performance lower in cities than suburban/rural areas.
The Manhattan and Tokyo speed tests are more important to me personally than The Grand Canyon and Indian Ocean speed test.
Re: FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Provide Broadband Satellite Services
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
If this turns Comcast into a niche provider for gamers then Comcast is definitely over.
Comcast is no more just a dumb pipe. Thanks to their acquisitions they would, in case of this scenario, simple reinvent themselves as a content producer (which they already are).
Comcast as a content producer means I don't have to deal with Comcast as a broadband monopoly, which is more than enough for me.