Re:SpaceX FCC Application for over 4000 Internet Satellites
by vidarh on Thursday November 17, 2016 @05:02AM
(#12976047)
True, but submarine cable bandwidth is ridiculously expensive many places. E.g. I know locations where the only local cable operator charge $3000/month for 20Mbps uncontended bandwidth, just because they can. Meanwhile in London even the most extortionate colo-provider I work with charge "only" $250/month for similar quality bandwidth.
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Re:SpaceX FCC Application for over 4000 Internet Satellites
by walrus01 on Thursday November 17, 2016 @03:15PM
(#12981054)
Compared to current costs of geostationary dedicated 1:1 capacity (SCPC), 20Mbps full duplex for $3000 is actually an amazingly good deal. If you're in a place in Africa with no fiber access and your only options for a high bandwidth trunk link to the world are c band satellite, you're looking at $25,000+ to build your own 3.0 meter+ sized earth station and then $1800 to $3000 per individual Mbps per month for leased transponder kHz to reach a teleport in France or Germany. This is one of the problems o3b was designed to solve.