Re:SpaceX says Starlink now has over 10k users
by londons_explore on Friday February 05, 2021 @07:55AM
(#26035767)
Laser links can bring in the HFT traders, but having laser links might lock starlink out of some markets.
Some governments would be happy to let a foreign company run internet services for their people if they can guarantee the data must flow through a ground station within the country. If the satellites have lasers though, the government cannot guarantee that, and therefore may ban the service entirely.
Re:SpaceX says Starlink now has over 10k users
by vidarh on Friday February 05, 2021 @06:44AM
(#26035289)
Even if you did line-of-sight links on the ground, and had a "perfect" route that didn't require deviating to avoid any obstacles, the curvature of the Earth means you'd need far more relays introducing latency.
Re:SpaceX says Starlink now has over 10k users
by wscott on Friday February 05, 2021 @07:00AM
(#26035383)
But speed of light in space is faster than the speed of light in fiber making it an overall win. And high-speed traders will pay a lot for a millsecond.
I believe this is to do with the difference in speed of light in the cable and also indirect path that light takes as it bounces along a cable. Over inter-continental distances, the benefit is magnified.