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Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

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Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#32
post #18

Current fiber optic cables transmit signals at 2/3rds the speed of light. Modeling has shown that starlink's laser backbone would allow it to beat deep-sea cables in some situations. This article estimates a NYSE -> FTSE reduction from 76ms to 43ms. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there is a HFT bidding war going on. https://archmeregreenarch.org/1456/news/starlink-and-the-ris... There is a newer version of fib…

Wouldn't they have to relay between many satellites due to line of sight? And wouldn't that eat up any decrease in time of flight for the signal itself?

I suspect that retransmission with amplification only, without much processing, can be really fast. Modern electronics can routinely do sub-nanosecond latency.

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#33

The key thing here is it allows for very high bandwidth to go almost anywhere on earth, not just spots where it's easy to land a cable. Starlink's already demonstrated how great that is for consumer bandwidth (50Mbps); a multi-gigabit link terminated at a satellite is fantastic. The part that impresses me most is they're talking about LEO satellites. Those move fast! Starlink does this with a very impressive phased a…

> how great that is for consumer bandwidth (50Mbps)

50 Mbps is great consumer bandwidth where?

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#34

The key thing here is it allows for very high bandwidth to go almost anywhere on earth, not just spots where it's easy to land a cable. Starlink's already demonstrated how great that is for consumer bandwidth (50Mbps); a multi-gigabit link terminated at a satellite is fantastic. The part that impresses me most is they're talking about LEO satellites. Those move fast! Starlink does this with a very impressive phased a…

It also circumvents the biggest problem with fiber, politics. Starlink doesn’t need permission to run a backbone across (or rather over) a country. This will be revolutionary for people in Africa, South America, and huge swaths of Asia/Australia where a few telecom monopolies have artificially jacked the price of transit.

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#36
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question isn't whether satellite links can beat deep-sea cables, it's whether they can beat shortwave. https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-tr...

And HFT setups are also nearly colocated with the exchanges I understand -- as close as they can get physically, so adding a hop to space and back may be adding quite a bit of distance.

This would be about reducing latency between these two exchanges to enable arbitrage opportunities the way I understood it.

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#37
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question isn't whether satellite links can beat deep-sea cables, it's whether they can beat shortwave. https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-tr...

And HFT setups are also nearly colocated with the exchanges I understand -- as close as they can get physically, so adding a hop to space and back may be adding quite a bit of distance.

It would be relevant for transmitting information from different exchanges (NYC ⇔ London ⇔ Tokyo... etc), not going from the trading firm's systems to the exchanges. At a high level, the firms would be making money by helping markets on different continents synchronize faster.

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#38
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question isn't whether satellite links can beat deep-sea cables, it's whether they can beat shortwave. https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-tr...

And HFT setups are also nearly colocated with the exchanges I understand -- as close as they can get physically, so adding a hop to space and back may be adding quite a bit of distance.

[deleted]

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#39
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question isn't whether satellite links can beat deep-sea cables, it's whether they can beat shortwave. https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-tr...

And HFT setups are also nearly colocated with the exchanges I understand -- as close as they can get physically, so adding a hop to space and back may be adding quite a bit of distance.

I think the use case is signalling between exchanges for millisecond advantages in arbitrage trades, not for trading on a single exchange.

See https://spectrum.ieee.org/wall-street-tries-shortwave-radio-...

Re: Lasers enable satellite internet backbone, might remove need for deep-sea cables

#40
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Currently, you can cut internet connections to most countries with a small deep water sub. China, for example, was busy building one that can be used at 10k+ depth and has arms.

Its widely assumed China, Russia and the US have "kinetic kill" abilities on satellites in space too, its just capabilities are not as widely known. Projects Like the US/Boeing X-37 space drone etc, whose purposes still haven't really been revealed: > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 Russia has already demonstrated its satellite destroying tech: > https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/11/16/russia-blows-up-satell.…

Also, India. List of anti-satellite tests: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368223169/figure/tb...
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