[wahern]

You bring up an interesting point, independent of VR. Sounds like the incumbents' days might be numbered. I wonder if and how quickly airlines could shift to Starlink. And if so, how easy it would be to bet against the incumbent providers. Unlike government, industrial, and scientific customers where the incumbents might be able to compete on stronger, minimal service guarantees[1], passenger connectivity on airlines seems to have always been flaky and relatively poor. Switching to Starlink would be a win-win for them--cheaper and better quality.[2]

[1] Not that Starlink wouldn't suffice in practice, but I assume Starlink probably won't want to cater to those customers with fancy, bespoke contract terms.

[2] And perhaps simpler equipment and maintenance in terms of fleet commonality. AFAIU, currently domestic service is via cellular and international service, where it's provided, is via satellite.