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Africans Are Turning to Starlink

economist.com

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Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#31

Post by dools »

mbreese wrote: post #13

Isn’t this a similar argument to how Africa adopted mobile phones significantly faster than other regions? When you don’t have an established wired infrastructure, it becomes significantly easier to jump technology generations. Especially if there’s no infrastructure needed to install. As others mentioned, It’s a very similar situation for rural America. My dad lives in a rural setting, and for years could only get s…

> jump technology generations

Satellite internet is not a “generation above” fibre internet

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#32

Post by kibwen »

whateverboat wrote: post #12
asteroidburger wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is anyone actually running new telecom copper these days? I’d be surprised if so.

Thieves are not educated enough to understand the difference and will steal the fiber and try to sell it (with no success) and in the anger, destroy huge swathes of the remaining fibre.

No. By that logic, PVC pipes wouldn't be safe from thieves, because thieves wouldn't be able to understand the difference from copper pipes. Anyone who's ever touched a fiber cable before immediately understands the difference from a copper cable, and if thieves can't get paid, they're not going to waste their time stealing it.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#33

Post by jcims »

LorenDB wrote: post #4

I live in rural America. The story is quite similar here. My options were (a) cellular hotspot, which is slow and expensive, or (b) satellite internet, which is also slow and expensive. Despite government programs, there are no cable/fiber/DSL options in my area. Starlink fills the gap nicely; it's not blazingly fast, but pretty much meets FCC broadband definitions for $55/mo.

It’s also surprisingly reliable given the physics of it all. I built a house out in the country in 2007 and 10Mbps DSL was all that was available for terrestrial connectivity up until literally yesterday.

The DSL would go down for hours a couple of times per month. I got on an early starlink pilot program and had a dish up in early 2021. Aside from momentary blips on the leading edge of a stormfront and occasional network issues a couple of times per year, it’s been rock solid with half the latency and 20x the bandwidth.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#34

Post by 15155 »

nine_k wrote: post #30
fragmede wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, it's not a shortcut to send tens of thousands of satellites into space instead of running copper wires across vast stretches of desert where they're going to get stolen, but it has certain advantages.

Why copper? Heavy, thick, expensive, attractive for thieves. Lay fiber: thin, lightweight, less expensive per Gbps, future-proof, corrosion-resistant, lighting-resistant, worthless for thieves.

Worthless for theft, but subject to ransom and destruction by your local warlord.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#35

Post by arcticfox »

grebc wrote: post #24
mikert89 wrote: post #10

I'm in the desert in utah right now, i drove two hours offroad from a small town, turned on starlink, and got faster internet than my office in NYC. Incredible. I can run the whole starlink off a small battery pack ($100), dont even need the car on. I can bring it on long hikes, and be sure ill have internet access if i need it. completely changes the risk profile of remote outdoors activity

I’m not sure regular internet access is changing the risk like you say, but I agree that people like connectivity and hence will do more risky things because they think it’s safer. Rescues even with EPIRB’s can still be difficult.

This seems like a crazy position to me. In what world is someone with connectivity not significantly safer in remote areas? Obviously doesn't help with immediately fatal scenarios (falls, drowning etc), but there are whole classes of getting-lost or losing-mobility disasters that just don't exist anymore with connectivity.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#36

Post by dreambuffer »

pgt wrote: post #17

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40248231 tldr; Starlink doesn't work in South Africa, Elon's home country, because the ANC and its lawfare arm ICASA demands they hand over 30% to the State because of BEE laws.

This is misleading, Starlink does not need to provide "30% to the state", they only have to give 30% ownership to a local company with historically disenfranchised owners providing real economic value to South Africa. This can be a private company.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#37

Post by kibwen »

Zigurd wrote: post #23
mbreese wrote: post #13

Isn’t this a similar argument to how Africa adopted mobile phones significantly faster than other regions? When you don’t have an established wired infrastructure, it becomes significantly easier to jump technology generations. Especially if there’s no infrastructure needed to install. As others mentioned, It’s a very similar situation for rural America. My dad lives in a rural setting, and for years could only get s…

Africa is mostly on 4G networks, and while 3G isn't a majority of the connections, it's still the next biggest share of infrastructure, far ahead of 5G which is relatively scarce. This is in the context of a population that really depends on mobile wireless for market information if they are farmers, and for payments. Having a mobile phone can take priority over having a flush toilet. Starlink has both opportunities…

> Combine this with a big rural population, and Starlink has a great opportunity, if they can find customers who can afford it.

This is the rub. The primary market here are people whose communities aren't wealthy enough to afford infrastructure that would provide superior service (5G being a step up from satellite, and wired being a step up from that). So Starlink depends on there existing a growing population of people who aren't too poor to afford internet service in the first place, while also relying on the hope that those people don't become too wealthy to afford long-term infrastructure investments.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#38

Post by [deleted] »

15155 wrote: post #34
nine_k wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why copper? Heavy, thick, expensive, attractive for thieves. Lay fiber: thin, lightweight, less expensive per Gbps, future-proof, corrosion-resistant, lighting-resistant, worthless for thieves.

Worthless for theft, but subject to ransom and destruction by your local warlord.

[deleted]

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#39

Post by Havoc »

dreambuffer wrote: post #27

Starlink is a massive national security risk, and that is one of the primary reasons it has not been allowed in South Africa. It's also why Starlink has pushed so aggressively to establish itself in South Africa, going as far as to hold private meetings with the Democratic Alliance and even spamming their customers with emails urging them to put pressure on the government.

>one of the primary reasons it has not been allowed in South Africa.

That's just nonsense. The regulator has been very clear on what the hold up is. A ECNS license is needed, which in turn requires 30% black ownership which musky boy isn't willing to do and isn't likely to change his mind on given his stance on DEI.

That's why the communication minister tried to create an alternative pathway around the 30% requirement

https://www.businessday.co.za/companies/2025-12-12-starlink-...

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#40

Post by mikert89 »

grebc wrote: post #24
mikert89 wrote: post #10

I'm in the desert in utah right now, i drove two hours offroad from a small town, turned on starlink, and got faster internet than my office in NYC. Incredible. I can run the whole starlink off a small battery pack ($100), dont even need the car on. I can bring it on long hikes, and be sure ill have internet access if i need it. completely changes the risk profile of remote outdoors activity

I’m not sure regular internet access is changing the risk like you say, but I agree that people like connectivity and hence will do more risky things because they think it’s safer. Rescues even with EPIRB’s can still be difficult.

this is an absurd thing to say, there are so many situations that are way safer with more information. alot of bad situations happen when people make the wrong decision under uncertainty, or they are in over their head. access to the internet, and increasingly claude, is incredible and changes alot of outdoors risk for the right users
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