I always find this list interesting to get updated on what is happening with policies for Internet access deployments in the U.S. and elsewhere, and what role is Starlink getting.
Starlink was conceived for having Internet access fast in remote areas, for leisure, surprisingly fast for SATCOM standards, even compared to 4G/5G mobile networks and DSL, almost like having FTTH. Then, it has become a tactical communications network, with military applications that cannot be ignored, triggering the development of IRIS2 in Europe (as OneWeb was already owned by the UK, not in the EU nowadays). In Spain, telco operators are switching off the copper network, no more dial-up or DSL possible, moving exclusively to FTTH, 5G NSA and then there is GEO satellite Internet access (subsidized by Government) for rural areas, now at 200 Mbit/s. I think that there is no fixed Internet access below 100 Mbit/s in the market, nowadays in Spain. Latest movement I have seen is a drastic price reduction in Spain for the Starlink Basic option, becoming cheaper than the Government subsidized GEO Internet access (via Hispasat): 29 euro/month vs. 35 euro/month. https://www.starlink.com/es/service-plans Regards, David F. Date: Wed, 1 May 2024 15:13:14 +0000 From: Colin_Higbie <chigb...@higbie.name> To: David Lang <da...@lang.hm> Cc: "starlink@lists.bufferbloat.net" <starlink@lists.bufferbloat.net> Subject: Re: [Starlink] Itʼs the Latency, FCC Message-ID: < mn2pr16mb3391fcbe610e11df886fe0a6f1...@mn2pr16mb3391.namprd16.prod.outlook.com > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" David, I'm not thinking about an urban rollout. My default perspective is rural. The closest house to my farm is about a half mile away, only 330 people in our whole town, which is geographically large. This is what drove my need for Starlink in the first place – I had previously been paying $330/mo for a bunch of DSL lines and 2 T-1s aggregated via an SD-WAN solution. Starlink gave me much more download bandwidth and a hair more on upload, lower latency, vastly improved reliability, and cut my costs by almost 3/4 (72.7%). Then, in a surprise move, our power company rolled out a fiber network to its rural customers, which is even better on bandwidth at 1Gbps both up and down and provides comparable latency. I can say as a user that at comparable latency, the UX boost with 1Gbps U and D compared with Starlink's connection is dramatic for work. Large file uploads and downloads are nearly instant, significantly increasing productivity. I can also now video conference without worrying about disruption on the sending signal due to family members being on the Internet at the same time. I have also changed the settings on family gaming and PC systems so they can watch YouTube at full resolution, where with Starlink, to avoid congestion on bandwidth (not bufferbloat) if everyone happened to be using the Internet at the same time, I had locked everyone else down to 480p or 720p streams. My goal in saying that it's better to do a slower rollout if needed to provide at least 25Mbps is to maximize end user experience and be efficient with constructions costs. This is my perspective because it's the perspective ISPs will have and therefore the necessary mindset to influence them. It's the perspective I have, and everyone who runs a business has, when people approach us telling us how to run our businesses. When you charge them waving data like an academic, an approach you appear to use in many of these emails (though to be fair, maybe you're different with this mailing list than you would be during a pitch to government or industry), you only alienate the audience and reduce the likelihood of anything getting done. In rural areas in the U.S., the long term harm to rushing out low-bandwidth solutions is significant. It would be better for them to have nothing new for another year or two and then get a 25+ Mbps connection that get a 10Mbps connection now, then get no upgrades for another 10-15 years, which is the likely outcome for many. Keep in mind that in the U.S., nearly all residents already have at least dial-up access for email and other trickle-in connections and most have some form of DSL, even if sub-1Mbps. Of course, now there is also Starlink, though w/Starlink, cost can be a barrier for some. However, and perhaps this is what you meant, I am admittedly thinking about this as a U.S. citizen. I would acknowledge that in other parts of the world where it's a not a matter of just waiting an extra couple of years to get an upgrade from dial-up or DSL, the situation may be different. Infrastructure costs at 25Mbps could be prohibitive in those markets, where a single feed to a village could be a significant upgrade from their current state of no Internet access for dozens or hundreds of miles. I accept my pushing for a recognition of 25Mbps floor for the top speed offered refers to 1st world markets where we have the luxury of being able to do it right in the first place to save money in the long run. - Colin
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