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A comment on Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid to take on Starlink. Parent comment

Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by ty6853 on Monday April 28, 2025 @08:14PM (#43827472)
A lot of rural areas have small-scale wireless ISPs at 10-100mbps. You just have to install a directional antenna on your roof.

This doesn't work once you get really remote, nor does fiber.

In any case none of them beat the experience of pulling an antenna out of a box and it pretty much just working.

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Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by thallium205 on Monday April 28, 2025 @08:31PM (#43827554)
These services are generally terrible compared to Starlink.
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Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by esseph on Monday April 28, 2025 @09:35PM (#43827919)
Maybe 15 years ago, but not for at least 10 years, and definitely 5 in most markets.

I'd take fiber -> Taara -> Tarana 3.65 CBRS any day of the week over any LEO. Way faster, way lower latency, and way lower total cost to deploy. Also scales massively better.

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Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by kortilla on Tuesday April 29, 2025 @01:40AM (#43829010)
>Tarana 3.65 CBRS any day of the week over any LEO. Way faster, way lower latency

To what? Starlink is getting you to a major exchange in two direct shots. When I was testing it in North Dakota I was getting lower latency to Google and Cloudflare through Starlink than I was through local fiber providers (likely due to their long circuitous route to Minneapolis).

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Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by esseph on Tuesday April 29, 2025 @07:31AM (#43831117)
Satellite can't handle the density required for one, but yes, network path is huge.

Same reason a lot of HFT uses microwave vs fiber paths - fiber paths are following the ROW, the microwave paths are the physically shorter paths.

LEO is a niche technology, but not and shouldn't be the default for tons of reasons.

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Re:Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites in bid t... by ty6853 on Monday April 28, 2025 @08:37PM (#43827584)
No doubt, but given the cost and challenge of launching a satellite, I think your best bet if your rural enclave despises Starlink for whatever reason, right now your best bet is to run fiber to a single house and make a mini wireless ISP.
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