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  1. #1
    D. Ring
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    Global Sattelite Internet Becoming a Thing

    So in the last month or so there's a sudden trend for big name companies announcing plans for high-speed satellite internet:

    The international agency that regulates satellite orbital slots and broadcast frequencies has registered at least a half-dozen filings for massive constellations of satellites in the past eight weeks, a development that suggests a gold-rush mentality may be taking hold. Behind these registrations, all made through governments, may hide well-known names including SpaceX, Google, Virgin Group, Qualcomm or other investors that in recent weeks have, in different ways, made public their interest in launching hundreds, even thousands, of satellites to provide global Internet service.
    http://spacenews.com/signs-of-satell...net-gold-rush/

    And another interesting article:
    Wyler’s gamble is to place O3b’s satellites in what’s known as a medium-earth orbit, which is about 5,000 miles into space. At that distance, data can travel up and back in about 150 milliseconds, a performance comparable to fiber-optic cable. There’s a trade-off: The lower the satellite, the less earth it can see. So O3b is putting up an unusually large number of satellites, 12 so far, with more to come. The cost to launch four satellites—each the size of a large restaurant-grade refrigerator—runs about $300 million, and the company has raised more than $1.3 billion to date from the likes of Google, HSBC, and SES, one of the world’s largest satellite operators.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/featur...i58i2dp6#r=rss

    I don't know how precedented this kind of thing is or how likely it will be to work. I know that relatively high-speed sattelite internet works for drones currently so it doesn't seem too fantastic. If nothing else at least it's more looming competition for the horrid cable company oligarchies.

  2. #2
    The Tower
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    Stromgarde Siren
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    Gilgamesh
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    It's interesting, but it still features the other irritating aspect of satellite communication: atmospheric disruption.

  3. #3

    Yep, would hate losing my connection while there's a storm raining shit on me, and living in Florida, that would be every other day.

  4. #4

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    Zeb Adiah
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    Multiplayer games with dat ping =/

  5. #5
    Nidhogg
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    Xenor Vernix
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    Main benefit I see is for mobile internet in remote places where you can't get 3G/4G. Or even just people who live in such areas and can't get broadband. I don't see it being a direct competitor to existing services.