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Africans Are Turning to Starlink

economist.com

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Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#61

Post by laurencerowe »

robear wrote: post #22

I am not sure how to write this without it sounding like an ad for Starlink. It definitely isn't. Just trying to add an anecdote to the conversation. I live in Canada and there are a small number of people that I know that have given up faster, cheaper internet from Telus/cable/etc for Starlink. I think what it comes down to is people are tried of the two year contracts and having to negotiate a better rate and never…

I had the same problem in San Francisco with Comcast. The only alternative was wireless service (which was somehow much slower than my iPhone) or slow fixed wireless as my street doesn’t get fiber. Ended up getting my partner to resubscribe to Comcast as a new customer.

Unfortunately Starlink will never be able to make substantial inroads into urban areas since their cell size is far too large to serve a high of density customers well.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#62

Post by laurencerowe »

Aboutplants wrote: post #48
robear wrote: post #22

I am not sure how to write this without it sounding like an ad for Starlink. It definitely isn't. Just trying to add an anecdote to the conversation. I live in Canada and there are a small number of people that I know that have given up faster, cheaper internet from Telus/cable/etc for Starlink. I think what it comes down to is people are tried of the two year contracts and having to negotiate a better rate and never…

From a pure competition standpoint, Starlink existing puts pressure on the entire industry all at once. No longer are so many people bound by a sole supplier in certain communities and now actual competition will eventually forced these companies to start fighting hard for customers. If there is one thing Elon is good at it’s scaling and that pressure should mount pretty quickly

Unfortunately it can’t since their cell size will never be sufficient for more than a small number of customers in an urban area. Mobile data cells here are a few blocks radius rather than the 10-20 miles in rural areas where Starlink really shines.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#63

Post by HWR_14 »

Havoc wrote: post #39
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% requiremen…

> requires 30% black ownership

Of SpaceX or of a special South African Starlink reseller that SpaceX owns 70% of?

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#64

Post by [deleted] »

SpaceNugget wrote: post #60
dudul wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it not safer to have access to information and be able to contact people from your remote location? Does it make you absolutely 100% safe? No. Does it suddenly nullify any potential risky scenario? No. But it is pretty idiotic to say that it doesn't change the risk. It very clearly changes the risk and reduces it drastically.

I want to clarify that no, Starlink _really_ does not "drastically reduce the risk" of remote outdoor activities. Looking it up, Starlink doesn't even provide it's gps location to connected devices. And regardless, actually rugged communication capable handheld gps units already exist and have for a while. And they don't require that you bring a whole satellite dish and some kind of battery pack with you on your wild…

[deleted]

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#65

Post by consensus1 »

IncreasePosts wrote: post #44
dreambuffer wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Does ownership ever get assigned to people who aren't political cronies of the current government?

In South Africa I would be very surprised if that ever happened. This is a country that went from exporting electricity to daily blackouts because of corruption.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#66

Post by mikert89 »

SpaceNugget wrote: post #60
dudul wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it not safer to have access to information and be able to contact people from your remote location? Does it make you absolutely 100% safe? No. Does it suddenly nullify any potential risky scenario? No. But it is pretty idiotic to say that it doesn't change the risk. It very clearly changes the risk and reduces it drastically.

I want to clarify that no, Starlink _really_ does not "drastically reduce the risk" of remote outdoor activities. Looking it up, Starlink doesn't even provide it's gps location to connected devices. And regardless, actually rugged communication capable handheld gps units already exist and have for a while. And they don't require that you bring a whole satellite dish and some kind of battery pack with you on your wild…

this reads like angry old man shaking his fist, obviously theres truth in it, but its too one sided to be taken seriously

a major part of outdoors risk is the uncertainty, which by definition, you cant look up ahead of time

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#67

Post by consensus1 »

Havoc wrote: post #39
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% requiremen…

Why would he give up ownership to someone who did absolutely nothing of value? That's a shakedown. It's like the laws that keep Tesla from selling cars in some states because they require a stealership as middle man.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#68

Post by theoreticalmal »

colechristensen wrote: post #29
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.

My parents in rural America had a local ISP that did long distance wireless (highly directional antenna mounted on the house pointed at the top of the grain elevator a few miles away) but it was an unreliable 20 Mbps because the ISP wasn't interested in upgrading their equipment.

This could have been a revolutionary way of accessing the internet before Starlink. Grain elevators are everywhere in the US Midwest. Can’t believe it wasn’t capitalized on

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#69

Post by ACCount37 »

robear wrote: post #22

I am not sure how to write this without it sounding like an ad for Starlink. It definitely isn't. Just trying to add an anecdote to the conversation. I live in Canada and there are a small number of people that I know that have given up faster, cheaper internet from Telus/cable/etc for Starlink. I think what it comes down to is people are tried of the two year contracts and having to negotiate a better rate and never…

Whenever landline ISPs fail, Starlink swoops in.

Having competition is important, and Starlink, being what it is, can compete with everyone everywhere at all times.

Starlink is a natural fit for sparsely populated underserved rural areas. But if going with Starlink begins to make economic sense in city centers, local ISPs have failed very hard. And Starlink is always there to punish them for it.

Re: Africans Are Turning to Starlink

#70

Post by sojournerc »

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.

I agree with your attitude. Technology can give false confidence.

Self-rescue, and self-sufficiency are priority, not some sense that someone will come save you if things go wrong.

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