As far as Internet numbers go, 700K signing up to receive updates isn't that amazing.
With zero advertising spend I'd say that it is pretty impressive.
SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
41–50 of 102 posts
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#42I'm in a busy city so I don't think I will have a Starlink option, but I'd gladly pay twice as much to fund this than keep paying money to our evil overlord Comcast.
That would be selfish, sort of like buying the hot Christmas toy when you don't even have kids. The amount of available bandwidth at any given time is fixed. If everyone does that then SpaceX would either need to raise prices (so the people with no other option will have to pay more) or implement some other kind of throttling. It's good if Starlink has enough demand to make the service a success, so SpaceX will want…
Uh what? If he's giving them money, they can just launch more satellites or create higher bandwidth per inch satellites.
If it's a political problem blocking the launch of more satellites, well then, solve the political problem of course.
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#43I will support all alternatives to the likes of TWC and Comcast
Starlink will only really be a solution for rural/remote areas. It won't be able to supply high bandwidth at urban densities as I understand it.
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
That would be selfish, sort of like buying the hot Christmas toy when you don't even have kids. The amount of available bandwidth at any given time is fixed. If everyone does that then SpaceX would either need to raise prices (so the people with no other option will have to pay more) or implement some other kind of throttling. It's good if Starlink has enough demand to make the service a success, so SpaceX will want…
Uh what? If he's giving them money, they can just launch more satellites or create higher bandwidth per inch satellites. If it's a political problem blocking the launch of more satellites, well then, solve the political problem of course.
I am assuming a lot of lag between giving them money and the launch of the satellites. (And other bandwidth improvements needed.) Similarly to how buying the hot Christmas toy doesn't automatically cause the manufacturer to make more in time for Christmas.
I suppose owning the launch systems helps, but there is still going to be lag.
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Comcast is likely currently working on regulation to block them.
[citation required] Look it's one thing to hate on big corporations for existing actions, but's entirely something else to invent conspiracy theories. In reality Comcast isn't threatened by Starlink because Starlink market is aimed at less populated areas so Comcast has no need to fight it. It would be completely oversaturated by cities and cities are easy to invest in building network infrastructure. Now, I could im…
A new worldwide internet provider being led by a pioneer of innovation is a major threat to comcast. Especially since Musk is known for caring about providing a valuable product at a fair price to the masses (the Model 3).
Elon Musk aside, who wouldn't drop comcast/verizon in a second if there were another viable option at a better price?
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#46I have a house on a farm. I only have relatively high speed internet (25mb/s) b/c someone set up a line of sight system pointing at a mountain as a co-op. My neighbors' house about half a kilometer away is blocked by a hill so they can't use it. When it's cloudy, I have to use my phone as a mobile hotspot. Coming from San Francisco, I didn't realize how many people face this reality of poor connectivity. I don't care…
I moved from Sunnyvale to Los Altos Hills and lost access to broadband. Comcast even told me they offered service at the address, then reneged when I moved in and asked to set it up. More options would be great, and underserved areas aren't as far out as people often think they are. You can be five miles from Google's headquarters and unable to get decent internet.
Tbf, that sounds like a bit of a weird spot in LAH :). But generally agree with your point!
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Uh what? If he's giving them money, they can just launch more satellites or create higher bandwidth per inch satellites. If it's a political problem blocking the launch of more satellites, well then, solve the political problem of course.
I am assuming a lot of lag between giving them money and the launch of the satellites. (And other bandwidth improvements needed.) Similarly to how buying the hot Christmas toy doesn't automatically cause the manufacturer to make more in time for Christmas. I suppose owning the launch systems helps, but there is still going to be lag.
That sounds correct from a supply chain and like, physical reality perspective, but hopefully there would be ways to increase the bandwidth density to counteract the launch problem. If there's not, and there's like a year turnaround on launch, then your concern is founded.
Perhaps the reader would be better off making a donation or investment into SpaceX instead, such that they receive money to better compete with Comcast in exchange for no obligation of service :)
Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#48> In addition to getting the satellites in orbit, SpaceX will need to build a vast system of ground stations and affordable user terminals if it is going to connect consumers directly to its network. Why are ground stations required? I thought you were connecting from your dish to the satellite and therefore could be anywhere with a view of the sky.
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Re: SpaceX says Starlink internet has ‘extraordinary demand,’
#495 million times, say, $50 means $250 Million a month or 3 billion a year. Not sure if they can get people to switch from optic cable to satellite and while the world is large, very few outside rich countries can afford to pay $50 a month.
Nice side business