SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth • Hacker News Board

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#511

Post by Lomlioto » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:22 AM UTC

blkhawk wrote: post #437

HWR_14 wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the drug traffickers that cut the fiber have no problem with your Starlink dish outside your home, and don't break it and/or threaten you? If they care, that seems like an oversight they will soon correct once enough people start using it.

They clearly don't want to threaten all the people directly for protection money. That limits what they are willing to do for the scheme. So they cut the cable at places where people are not. This is both efficient in employee time as well as in risk. Starlink antennas can be installed on roofs or in places that aren't easily visible. Also you could install it in things that don't look like it since it only needs an…

A Starlink antennna would create a lot of reflection in anything metal like a barrel or bathtub (why would you even have a bathtub on the roof?).

Finding it would be very easy as these houses are not huge houses, enter the house, snip the cables.

Besides that, its all hypotetical. Just because in some random shitty neigherhood this issue exists, doesn't mean anything anyway.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#512

Post by Lomlioto » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:27 AM UTC

tormeh wrote: post #88

jampa wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When COVID hit, I knew a lot of engineers who decided to move to rural areas / small farms because they could leverage Starlink to work remotely. Last year, when I asked whether they still liked Starlink, all of them said it is amazing, but they had gotten fiber coverage in their area from a local provider, so they don't use it anymore, or just use it as a backup. I think Starlink was a huge demand signal that there…

There are areas where the bureaucratic hurdles to changing anything and the incentives for changing anything work out to nothing ever changing. I assume in 20 years most of Berlin is still going to have 50mbit/s max. I hear residents of New York have completely given up and are using 5G modems because putting up new cables just isn't practical. On the other hand, these cities do have a significant minority of flats w…

While i would love to have 1 gb, 50mbit is not bad and every normal person i know of, wouldn't call it bad at all or see it as an issue.

So not a problem

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#513

Post by selivanovp » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:29 AM UTC

potamic wrote: post #406

dietr1ch wrote: post #380

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll be sad to know there's another mf trying to put a mirror to reflect sunlight near twilight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflect_Orbital

Wut? This has to be some sort of a scam. There's no way you're going to be reflecting enough light from hundreds of kilometers away.

It's not. USSR and Russia experimented with space mirrors and was able to light significant territory. It was a successful program, but in 1993 Russia had no money to continue the project, so it was wrapped up.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#514

Post by Lomlioto » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC

dtagames wrote: post #299

afavour wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that while Starlink is a technical innovation its primary benefit is as a political innovation: it lets you sidestep a lot of politics. Rural communities in the US should have high speed internet, just like efforts were made to give them electricity back in the day. But the layers of politics and dysfunction in the way are deep.

If we can get internet from the sky, it's hard to justify digging up the earth with cables for the same thing. I realize Space X "pollutes" space and astronomy is also important, but it's not more important than communications and information for people on earth.

Its very easy to dig.

You still need a powerline to your house, sewer and water.

There are plenty of fibers and dark fibers on power pools.

Starlink doesn't 'just' pollute the night sky for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN (8 Billion people) it can also poisen our atmosphere when they re-enter and burn up.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#515

Post by kakwa_ » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC

consumer451 wrote: post #5

When Starlink first became available here in poor-ish Central-EU, I was excited. Then, only months later, but after years of planning: EU funding brought fiber to my farm area, at ~$25/900mbps 10ms. While my story is just n=1, I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have However, I am dumb, and very open to be convinced.

Well, it has proven itself to be a very useful military asset in Ukraine.

The rural & underdeveloped area and the niche applications (ex: ships and planes) will bring-in some cash.

And in addition, the US Army will pretty much guaranty it to be in the green: it wants this capability plus some control over it.

If it was civilian only, I doubt the economics would make much sense, specially given the amount of satellites and their short lifespan combined with the overall shrinking market (rural flight to cities + fiber deployment on land).

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#516

Post by flanked-evergl » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:32 AM UTC

consumer451 wrote: post #5

When Starlink first became available here in poor-ish Central-EU, I was excited. Then, only months later, but after years of planning: EU funding brought fiber to my farm area, at ~$25/900mbps 10ms. While my story is just n=1, I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have However, I am dumb, and very open to be convinced.

I live in Norway. Starlink is cheaper than FTTH by a country mile. At the very least it's going to force down prices for fiber providers.

Also just because FTTH exists does not mean it's reliable.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#517

Post by jraby3 » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:32 AM UTC

askvictor wrote: post #382

dtagames wrote: post #302

I just finished a long RV trip and I can tell you it's hard to underestimate the importance of internet access (which also means Wi-Fi calling and access to maps and weather) across our entire, enormous nation. It's important not only for individuals but even more for businesses. Despite cell phone company ads with handsome celebrities in the desert, cell phones actually do not work in many places. But people do need…

Once upon a time, people did long RV trips without internet access. Or even (cellular) phone access.

They did and it used to take a lot of planning, using paper maps, getting lost etc.

Just like once people didn't use electricity or vaccines or indoor plumbing. For all its minuses the internet makes these long trips 10x easier.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#518

Post by yxhuvud » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:34 AM UTC

consumer451 wrote: post #5

When Starlink first became available here in poor-ish Central-EU, I was excited. Then, only months later, but after years of planning: EU funding brought fiber to my farm area, at ~$25/900mbps 10ms. While my story is just n=1, I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have However, I am dumb, and very open to be convinced.

I suppose one real upside is that in very regulated areas with only one operator this gives them some baseline regarding service that they actually need to beat.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#519

Post by Lomlioto » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:35 AM UTC

tyjen wrote: post #80

consumer451 wrote: post #5

When Starlink first became available here in poor-ish Central-EU, I was excited. Then, only months later, but after years of planning: EU funding brought fiber to my farm area, at ~$25/900mbps 10ms. While my story is just n=1, I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have However, I am dumb, and very open to be convinced.

There's many isolated communities abroad that benefit from this coverage. Plus, when I begin my solo sailing adventure, I intend to use Starlink as my primary method to maintain contact, of course with traditional methods serving as backup.

This is great right? Lets pollute our sky for 8 Billion people that tyjen can send a whatsapp message to people while sailing.

Awesome!

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#520

Post by defrost » Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 8:35 AM UTC

jraby3 wrote: post #517

askvictor wrote: post #382

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once upon a time, people did long RV trips without internet access. Or even (cellular) phone access.

They did and it used to take a lot of planning, using paper maps, getting lost etc. Just like once people didn't use electricity or vaccines or indoor plumbing. For all its minuses the internet makes these long trips 10x easier.

Hardly, and not by a factor of ten - at best it allows for digital mapping and (unreliably) replaces an ePirb.

What it does do, for sure, is encourage people with no proper grounding in multi day off road adventuring to have a go and die through lack of prior experience and skills.