SpaceX To Offer Phone Service

Starlink made headlines with its satellite Internet service. This is going to be something that blankets the entire planet.

What this means is that society will have the option of transitioning and reversing a decades long trend. Since the 1950s, the trend in the developed nations was the move to urban areas. This was due to the monopoly on jobs along with the social life. We can probably presume that, for most, it was the employment opportunities.

That said, we are seeing this shift. If Internet is available everywhere, then it is possible for those who are involved in knowledge work to conduct it from anywhere. This means that a job can be fulfilled even when 1,000 miles away.

The idea of remote work is going to take hold. What is ironic is the one doing the most to usher this reality in is against the idea. Elon Musk doesn't believe in remote work. He feels that everyone should be in an office.

Here we have one of those situations where the developer of the technology and how people use it will differ.

Satellite Internet

The great think about satellite Internet is that it will be available anywhere in the world. At present, there still are more satellites required.

Another barrier is the present cost. From my limited investigation, it seems that the service is still higher than many other options. Of course, the first wave is catering to those without many choices which means they are willing to pay the higher price.

We also could be seeing a common trend with technology. When things are introduced, the services tends to be both poor and expensive. Over time, as the tech improves, prices also drop.

Could we see the same happen here? Only time will tell. What we do know is that if the intention is to service areas such as Africa, prices will have to come down.

Whatever the plans on that end, we could see this given a boost with phone service.

Phone Service Starts Next Year

According to the SpaceX website, it will begin offering phone service for text in 2024. The image above shows that talk and data are targeted for 2024.

So would we see the idea of satellite coverage used for phone conversations? It appears that is where things might be headed.

Basically. SpaceX is looking at putting a "tower" in space. The following diagram is how they present the system working.

SpaceX plans to pull this off because of two factors.

The first is the fact their satellites are roughly 550 km from Earth, over 230 closer than Iridium. This means that a small device likes a smartphone will have an easier time connecting to a satellite that is closer.

We are also going to see bigger satellites. One of SpaceX's major projects is the Starship. This is the world's largest rocket. It also can carry bigger satellites, which will have a larger, more sensitive antenna. Here is where we see the ability to target much smaller devices.

Hence it appears the technology is there to pull this off. One major barrier is they are going to have to get the rocket into space, something that proved to be a challenge thus far.

Will Anyone Use The Service?

Will this be a game changer?

There is no doubt that tele-communications, like most other things, are changing. The issue is that, in 2024, who is going to sign up for text only service. This isn't the 1980s.

Perhaps the company will roll out the service for testing and add the other features the following year.

Ultimately, the success of this is going to come down to price. While it might find an audience with those who do a ton of traveling, the average person is not going to sign up if we are looking at a doubling or tripling of what they are paying.

Also, how does the service work? While it could end dead zones where there is no tower coverage, it might add more if buildings suddenly become inaccessible for phone use.

All of this will have to be determined.

Nevertheless, we can see how things are changing. Tele-communications is simply another area that will be disrupted.

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