Re:SpaceX just got FCC approval to launch 7,518 satellites
by TimTheTinker on Thursday November 15, 2018 @11:24PM
(#18466393)
Sorry that wasn't clear. I meant cellular roaming between towers, and WiFi roaming between access points -- not roaming between the two technologies.
It's currently possible to maintain a single connection (including IP address, open sockets, ip tables, etc.) while roaming between cell towers and WiFi APs. That's not true when switching carriers/providers/technologies, although I agree that would be a great next step for cell phones.
While you may be right regarding the context in which you said this — satellites — as a blanket statement, that's not true: my smartphone loses Internet connectivity when I leave my house, and takes a few seconds before it connects to the cellular data network.
I'm surprised that phones don't establish a backup 4G connection when Wifi signal strength decreases suddenly, but before it disconnects. This has been talked about for years, but for whatever reason it hasn't been deployed or doesn't work well, at least with Android P.