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SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

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Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people keep comparing to Theranos when Starlink is already being used by hundreds of thousands of people? Starlink exists. In fact, SpaceX/Starlink now operates more satellites in Low Earth Orbit than every other country and business in the world, combined. Theranos had no proven track record. Like, what's enough to satisfy you?

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Most of us here would dream of being that effective. He's a jerk though, that's the part the world could do without and with him now firmly in the Trump camp we'll see what kind of long term misery will come from that.

I can't stand it when immigrants into a country become champions for the anti-immigration party, it's the moral equivalent of kicking the door shut behind you.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#152

Dear SpaceX, How about you just give me service in middle USA. I pre-ordered in 2021, you’re currently saying I have to wait until 2023. What gives? You’re launching over oceans, Europe, South America, why not Missouri or Indiana or Kentucky?

You can always pay extra for their marginally slower RV service.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#153
I believe this is SpaceX trying to stay one step ahead of Apple.

Anyone else remember this strange rumor about iPhones including satellite capability a year ago?

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/08/29/iphone-13-to-feature-le...

Now you have Apple’s event in a couple weeks themed “Far Out” with space pictures.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Apple announced something similar, possibly with Globalstar instead.

Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage. So of course Musk comes out first, with the “we are doing it too, but it will work with any phone.”

Interesting times.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#154
post #142

AST SpaceMobile will be launching its first cellular base station satellite on a Falcon rocket later this year. https://ast-science.com/

How exactly does that work? Cell phones have such small antennas and put out a relatively weak (and omnidirectional) signal. I think the phone would have trouble receiving the satellite's transmissions and vice versa.

Big antennas (25 square meters?) which are highly directional go along way to improve the link budget. The main lobe is focused on a pet small area of land. My guess is they will also use the lowest bitrate modulation/coding for additional improvement to the link budget. I think LTE goes down to QPSK 1/12, which supports demodulation down to about -7 SNR? Something around there.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#155
post #44

Anecdotally, 5G is significantly better at line of sight at significant distances than previous technology. While sailing 40+ miles offshore this summer, I've gotten 5G on deck, with decent upload performance using my iPhone, when in years previous I didn't get coverage much beyond 12 miles anywhere around where I sail, despite there being tall buildings with cell towers on them with a 30+ mile horizon for at least 2…

Not sure what would make 5G any better than LTE for coverage, maybe your towers were simply upgraded to higher power during a 5G upgrade?

Maybe the 700 MHz band?

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#156
post #150

Color me not the least impressed. I pay $200/month for my family to use T-Mobile. Data barely works in my backyard--and I'm one city over from their headquarters. I've called them and I've Tweeted. They energetically tell me they're taking action and... nothing happens.

Have you considered a CellSpot? It served me well in the days when my phone didn't support Wi-Fi calling.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people keep comparing to Theranos when Starlink is already being used by hundreds of thousands of people? Starlink exists. In fact, SpaceX/Starlink now operates more satellites in Low Earth Orbit than every other country and business in the world, combined. Theranos had no proven track record. Like, what's enough to satisfy you?

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No post body was provided.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#158
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure what would make 5G any better than LTE for coverage, maybe your towers were simply upgraded to higher power during a 5G upgrade?

Maybe the 700 MHz band?

Good point, lower frequency band could have been introduced.

Re: SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Radio's got some crazy physics. So baseline, a modern cell phone can connect to a tower about 45 miles away. Stsrlink satellites orbir about 10 times out from that. They are solving this problem by some very clever phased array technology to be deployed on the satellites themselves, because when it comes to radio, you can often solve the problem of signal reception by boosting either the transmitter or the receiver s…

Also 10x may not be representative since the 45 miles to a cell tower is all through atmosphere but Starlink is 400 miles up, so there's only 5-10 miles of atmosphere at any noticeable density.

The atmosphere is transparent at typical cell phone frequencies (and the part that can be a problem are clouds and the ionosphere).
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