SpaceX wins UK regulator Ofcom's approval for its Starlink mobile broadband base stations Ofcom has given the thumbs-up to SpaceX's Starlink broadband user terminals, opening the door to a UK launch of Elon Musk's satellite-based broadband service. The approval – which was issued in November but only recently became public knowledge – pertains to the receiver equipment nicknamed internally by the company as "Dishy …
Right. For a price significantly higher than every other connection option. I'm sure they'll be providing them for free to any village without a cable any day now. I've seen this argument trotted out so many times; maybe we should actually see it done before we give them the credit for their humanitarian action? No? Maybe you can at least show me the documents where they've been getting them approved for developing countries where internet access is sparse?
1. Not everyone in the world has access to Eutelsat
2. Who said anything about doing it for free?
3. Does the USA count as a developing country? StarLink has already been used for disaster-relief there.
This is a commercial venture which will charge whatever they can get away with. I'm going to guess that they've done some market research before spending hundreds of millions of dollars launching satellites, and if they think people will pay more than for existing options (where there are any) then maybe they're onto something.
The "for free" is because people keep assuming it's going to be used to connect very much underdeveloped areas. And no, that doesn't include the United States, even in a disaster. It includes places where people have little access to electricity, let alone communications. No wires to carry the signal, so satellite would be the fastest way to get connection there. That's what people always say is the main reason I should accept this system; it's a humanitarian dream, connecting all the world together to lift everyone from ignorance, bringing education to those who can't afford what I have, yada yada. That dream is great. If they did it, I'd be very happy and I'd give them all sorts of licenses so they could get it done. I might even buy the more expensive service to make it easier for them to give the hardware to people who can't afford it.
They aren't doing that. They haven't even started to talk about any of the gnarly issues involved in doing that. Some nice chunks of speeches have mentioned it, and bunches of people online parrot back the arguments. I would like those who do so to realize that I don't believe they're going to actually realize any of those dreams, and I'll need proof. Until I get it, I can't give them any credit for humanitarianism and consider it only as a commercial product. As a commercial product, it has negative externalities that make it harder to swallow. The balancing positives need to be proven to me and likely to others before we would stop our objections.
I think you're missing that there are TWELVE THOUSAND satellites, not 12. It more than triples the number. There are currently only 6000 in total, and that's including the 1200 Musk has already launched.
You can't "filter it out" when it's half a dozen superbright streaks across the image. Do you even astronomy, bro?
It's often doable with someone motivated enough and technical enough involved: carefully aimed point-to-point Yagis, assuming the terrain isn't completely against it. Pick the farm on the hill to get the pipe, and turn its roof into a hedgehog. Although if it is against the Ts&Cs, this may be difficult to disguise when BroadBandCorp come knocking...
Even if the T&Cs do not permit sharing, I don't see how it could be detected if you ignore that rule. However people stuck out in the boonies tend to live quite a distance from each other, so sharing an Internet connection might involve installing some expensive equipment (microwave links, laser links, laying fibre etc.)
That is Elon's official name for the current offering. The Ofcom approval is only an authorization to offer the beta in the UK.
Starlink has worked with a few rural groups, primarily indigenous tribes and schools from what I can see, to install the beta service. For an example see: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/pikangikum-spacex-starlink-1.5824234
I think this is good. start. still more to go, it will get cheaper as we go ( i hope)
Cheap mobile (voip) phones that will link with this i hope will be next.
All Hale his muskyness , Musk for president of the US of W !
yes i'm a fan , bring it on , down vote me now while still time.
So what you are saying is that you hope that a launch on a exactly predefined trajectory, doesn't crash in to a satellite, also on a exactly predefined trajectory.
I personally don't think hope comes in to it, just maths.
Also note, the satellite are released below their final orbit and climb up using onboard thrusters, so the actual launch itself could not have this happen.
It would only move occasionally, otherwise it would simply wear out. Plus, things moving under their own automatic control probably wouldn't be allowed without safety precautions, even on the ladder high side of a house (it could push you off the ladder)
We used to have a big dish, 30 years ago. It would move to switch satellites. Except we very rarely did. Imagine the surprise when it crushed a load of bushes and half the rotary drier one day!
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
