Re:Google and AT&T invest in Starlink rival for satellite-to...
by AnthonyMouse on Tuesday January 23, 2024 @03:36AM
(#39100888)
> And at that point, it seems to make much more sense for a local carrier to partner with AST instead, since they'd be able to serve almost everybody using their existing terrestrial coverage and would need to use the satellites only to fill in the gaps.
Which is irrelevant to the point that if AST is competing with "Starlink" in those countries, they'll also be competing with (and presumably getting most of their users from) other local carriers.
> Being able to set the price for that for all operators in a country as the only seller sounds extremely beneficial in the short term.
Except that hardly anybody is going to be willing to pay significantly more than that than they could pay to get similar service from a terrestrial local carrier, so there was never really a monopoly rent to be had to begin with.
Which is irrelevant to the point that if AST is competing with "Starlink" in those countries, they'll also be competing with (and presumably getting most of their users from) other local carriers.
> Being able to set the price for that for all operators in a country as the only seller sounds extremely beneficial in the short term.
Except that hardly anybody is going to be willing to pay significantly more than that than they could pay to get similar service from a terrestrial local carrier, so there was never really a monopoly rent to be had to begin with.