Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 496 posts

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

#171

Post by DoesntMatter22 »

fragmede wrote: post #99
anonymousiam wrote: post #5

I watched the announcement. Knowing Musk, I'll believe it when I see it, but it sounds promising. Apparently the G2 Starlink satellites will be equipped with large antennas to support cellular users on the existing spectrum. Video was live-streamed, and still available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzli-Ww26Qs

Self-driving cars have proven harder than expected, but given the rest of Musk's tale, I wouldn't bet against him. SpaceX is already launching satellites, and Starlink is already providing service. T-mobile owns the frequencies for it, it's "just" a matter of building the satellites and putting them into space. If the claim were more outlandish, it would be harder to buy, but the technology is eminently doable.

Self driving is one of the hardest, if not the hardest software problems ever to be solved. I think people underestimate just how challenging the problem is. Must says a lot of stupid stuff but in reality he has delivered on the vast majority of it, though as he says it's not always in the time frame he expects.

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

#172

Post by CharlesW »

ericabiz wrote: post #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 cours…

> Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage.

What makes you think that? (Messages doesn’t need to be on your carrier’s network to send/receive MMS/SMS messages.)

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

#173

Post by sgtnoodle »

kibibyte wrote: post #143
wongarsu wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

4G/LTE was commonly quoted as 3km range for rural installations (using the 2GHz bands). 5G added 700MHz and 800MHz bands that are quoted as 10-20km achievable range. For typical cell tower heights 20km is about the range where they would sink behind the horizon, so that might be the practical limit here. Starlink satellites are about 330km up, so one order of magnitude further. But they also have basically unobstruct…

GPS is a thing, so I can imagine that a phone would be able to receive satellite signals pretty easily. But for transmission, I can't imagine this working without having your phone put a ton of power into sending a powerful enough signal, perhaps more so than how much power you need to passively receive GPS signals in the absence of traditional cell towers?

It sounds like the data rate is incredibly low. That allows for a lot of signal margin. GPS receivers are sensitive to something like -165dBm.

It's probably harder for the satellite to hear from the phone. Especially at a lower frequency like 700Mhz, a phone's tiny antenna is going to be a rather inefficient transmitter. Maybe 5g technology helps by allowing the phone to do some rudimentary beam forming using multiple antennas?

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

#174

Post by extheat »

ericabiz wrote: post #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 cours…

Apple phones are a lot less ubiquitous than general cell phones. Anything with an antenna and a (e)SIM card can get access to the T-mobile network, so what Apple is providing might be nice but I can't see how they compete at the level SpaceX can. And the global regulatory approvals needed will be a problem for everyone.

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

#175

Post by Infinitesimus »

CharlesW wrote: post #172
ericabiz wrote: post #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 cours…

> Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage. What makes you think that? (Messages doesn’t need to be on your carrier’s network to send/receive MMS/SMS messages.)

There isn't really an incentive for them to support anything beyond iMessage for now.

End game will be their own private networks but that's still a while away

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

#176

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS »

xcskier56 wrote: post #91
xcskier56 wrote: post #78

While I see the great potential in this technology, the collateral damage is the loss of places where one can truly disconnect. I just got back from 4 days camping at a remote mountain lake with zero phone coverage, and it’s one of the most incredible ways to fully recharge and step away from the day to day treadmill of the modern world. When we loose the possibility to completely disconnect, I at least, will feel a…

To everyone saying “just don’t bring your phone” 1) Camera: iPhones are about the best lightweight camera I’m willing to purchase 2) Navigation: Offline maps with details like slope angle are critical when traveling in the backcountry in winter. Yes I use paper maps too, but some things are much easier digital. 3) I don’t want to leave it in the car to get stolen. And about airplane mode. Yes “disconnecting is a choi…

> but if the internet is just the flip of a button away, I’ve found I’m not able to keep that button off.

That's a human problem with a human - not technical - solution. You need to find a way to resist temptation. I promise you'll be better for it in more areas than you realize.

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

#177

Post by rvz »

ALittleLight wrote: post #124
mplewis wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I think you damage your own credibility more than Musk's by saying things like this. He's delivered on electric cars and reusable rockets. It's fair to say promises more than he delivers, but he delivers an awful lot.

> I think you damage your own credibility more than Musk's by saying things like this.

Why are you making it about this commenter? They are not wrong. Unless you can answer this next question:

> He's delivered on electric cars and reusable rockets. It's fair to say promises more than he delivers, but he delivers an awful lot.

So where are the 1 million robo-taxis driving around at Level 5 FSD ready for release in 2020 then?

There is a reason why he is very clever at playing the pied piper and manipulating his customers like crash dummies to buy his FSD contraption to run each other down whilst increasing the price of a broken product.

That alone highlights the scam he is running with FSD which is a shame since that it damages his credibility and with the repeated failed claims and predictions of FSD not materializing, he is making himself a magnificent example of a great con artist with Tesla.

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

#179

Post by ProfessorZoom »

CharlesW wrote: post #172
ericabiz wrote: post #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 cours…

> Of course, Apple’s solution will likely only work with iMessage. What makes you think that? (Messages doesn’t need to be on your carrier’s network to send/receive MMS/SMS messages.)

Because Apple loves to keep a walled garden

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

#180

Post by skydhash »

woevdbz wrote: post #164
xcskier56 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To everyone saying “just don’t bring your phone” 1) Camera: iPhones are about the best lightweight camera I’m willing to purchase 2) Navigation: Offline maps with details like slope angle are critical when traveling in the backcountry in winter. Yes I use paper maps too, but some things are much easier digital. 3) I don’t want to leave it in the car to get stolen. And about airplane mode. Yes “disconnecting is a choi…

> And about airplane mode. Yes “disconnecting is a choice”, but if the internet is just the flip of a button away, I’ve found I’m not able to keep that button off. Leave your SIM card home

Or remove it and put it at the bottom of the backpack (suitcase).
Post reply on HN