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Amazon launches test satellites for its planned internet service to compete with SpaceX

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Donatello

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I read about this year's ago... Iirc Google suppose to do it too...

Bout time... Lol
 
Good. Internet access should be worldwide, fast, and cheap, IMO.
 
Half the world's population don't have copper wire connections to support any kind of internet, and those places also suffer from heavy burden on wireless hubs. So it's a big market, for orbital internet. The more players the better: they will compete with each other with free internet services as an introductory offer, and canny consumers will be able to switch from one to another and get free internet for years.

Whether internet access is actually a blessing or not, I'm not so sure about. I used to read books
 
Plus it will mean more competition..

I live in decent size city, 10s of thousands of people here... I have 2 choices for internet... Verizon and Spectrum... I know people 6-7 blocks from me... They have 2 choices... Verizon and Optum...

In other words the companies have carved up the cities/neighborhoods to keep competion down..

F'em..
 
It might seem trivial, but even free services often require some hard ID to sign up. A credit card for instance. Rather than distributing aid through proxies (a truck loaded with bags of grain, or an internet cafe with satellite access) it would be better if every human on the planet had ID to get their individual share of discounted or free "aid."

I'm thinking mostly of food aid, but it might apply to internet access too. Wouldn't it be better for developing economies if everyone had money to spend in their local economy? Let them make the choice between ten kilos of local meal, or half a kilo of prime US wheat? They would be better fed, and without destroying the local economy or ceding a share to local gangsters.

But there I go, expecting banksters to act like philanthropists. Dream on, Ug.
 
Believe it or not, it's much better than it used to be. Less than 20 years ago, there was only one option if you wanted cable. They literally divided up the map. No choices. The fact that you have two, and in many places, 3 providers, makes for more competitive cable. Here in the Big Apple, I have three choices now.
 
I've always had 2 choices... Even in the DSL days... With cable TV I also have only 2 choices.. Verizon and Spectrum...

But I have DirectTv
.. So to hell with them... Lol..

To be fair I have I have Spectrum internet.. I have no complaints... I got a good price, and it's fast...
 

Excuse my ignorance. But this service used cable you already have installed? You would have to pay a connection fee if you didn't already have cable to your house?
 
I wonder if there are other uses for a mesh of tens of thousand of satellites in low earth orbit?
 
Ug make hammer said:
You think military uses?
Click to expand...
Recon for sure. That what Starlink does. Elon makes huge bucks from Starlink. Think of the power of AI connected to an instant messaging global satellite network each owned by a different ruthless billionaire. What can go wrong?
 
Donatello said:
Recon for sure. That what Starlink does. Elon makes huge bucks from Starlink. Think of the power of AI connected to an instant messaging global satellite network each owned by a different ruthless billionaire. What can go wrong?
Click to expand...
They are traveling very fast relative to earth and can drop out of orbit on command.
 
craig said:
They are traveling very fast relative to earth can drop out of orbit on command.
Click to expand...
Why would someone command them to drop out of orbit? Seems counter productive.
 
Donatello said:
Why would someone command them to drop out of orbit? Seems counter productive.
Click to expand...
Controlled end of life destruction and kinetic strikes on falling objects.
 
craig said:
Controlled end of life destruction and kinetic strikes on falling objects.
Click to expand...
Never heard of kinetic strikes on falling objects. What does that mean? Can you give an example?
 
Donatello said:
Never heard of kinetic strikes on falling objects. What does that mean? Can you give an example?
Click to expand...
Space junk or failed inadvertent rocket launches falling to earth in populated places.
 
Good to see. Private sector doing what the goverment should be doing which is increasing our options which will drive prices down through competition. Biden on the other hand is spending 65 billions to increase internet connectivity and all he's actually doing is giving poor people a discount on their cable/internet bill which is of course paid by other taxpayers. See the difference?
 
So you think the Government should be developing this and not private industry? Why would that be better?
 
Same here, my wife had AT&T for years due to international travel. We moved to a different part of town and AT&T isn't an option for internet.
Reminds me of the old Ma Bell days where competition smothered while still in the cradle...
 
craig said:
They are traveling very fast relative to earth and can drop out of orbit on command.
Click to expand...

You're thinking "rods from god" then?

I think they're too small and boxy. They're too small to make it to the surface, they would burn up. You'd need an exact time and place to even see them burn up, using a hobbyists telescope.
 
Donatello said:
So you think the Government should be developing this and not private industry? Why would that be better?
Click to expand...
It has more to do with funding. The goverment use to manage and fund all space programs. Private contractors like Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin would be doing the actual work. Now the goverment funds nonsense and the private sector must reach into it's own R&D budget to get something like this going.
 
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