[sandworm101]

My theory: they are buying out a potential competitor, and thier IP, before they become a threat. Killing them in the cradle as it were. It sends a strong signal to anyone else talking about satellite-based network services.

[apendleton]

Starlink and Swarm don't meaningfully compete. Starlink is a V-band (GHz-territory) system suitable for high bandwidth applications, but requiring good line of sight, lots of power, and a big, complicated phased-array antenna (or I guess you could maybe have something actively steered instead, but SpaceX doesn't seem to be pursuing that).

Swarm is a VHF system (hundreds of MHz) that can't come anywhere near Starlink in terms of bandwidth, but can operate with much lower power and a small, simple, dirt-cheap antenna. The tradeoff is that you'll end up paying way more per byte. But for their intended applications (basically, embedded IoT-type sensors), you don't want to transmit/receive much anyway, and keeping BoM cost down is key.

In other words: there's basically no application where someone might be choosing equally between these two options.

[T-A]

That roster includes O3B mPOWER (SES), Inmarsat, Kuiper (Amazon), OneWeb (UK et al), Guowang (China) and Sfera (Russia). I doubt they are so easily intimidated.

[sandworm101]

Intimidated? Or maybe if you do the right things SpaceX will bring you trucks full of money to stop.

[oxplot]

Umm, they are already pretty intimidated. As Starlink stands right now (in beta with partial constellation in service), it's superior to all of those combined. Those guys are shitting their pants right now scrambling to either block SpaceX from moving forward (by whining to authorities) or setup their own competing constellations.

[bryanlarsen]

And Telesat (Canada) also raised money to build a LEO constellation.

[repsilat]

> sends a strong signal

A signal of encouragement, you mean? Like, "invest in this space" -- no pun intended -- "because we'll offer you a great exit"?

[grecy]

> they are buying out a potential competitor

I think it's pretty clear SpaceX doesn't have any competitors in the satellite constellation business.

SpaceX will spend something like ten billion dollars to build out the full Starlink constellation using their own launch services, which are vastly cheaper than anything anyone else has.

Potential competitors would have to spend an insane amount of money to launch their constellations, which basically means it will never happen.

[sandworm101]

So they are in violation of antitrust rules? If space is the future, SpaceX is the railroad and should not grant cheaper rates for cargo from its other businesses.

[toomuchtodo]

Good luck arguing this to regulators. They are cheap, but not the only option, both in the US and globally.

[nickik]

That logic doesn't work with current court interpretation of Anti-Trust. Read Judge Richard Posner on modern Anti-Trust law. Its not the late 1800s where it was basically politicians driving Anti-Trust train.

[ctdonath]

Can argue SpaceX is a global telecom company which is selling excess transport capacity to fund their transport cost center.

[eganist]

So they're pulling a Facebook/Instagram?

Here's hoping someone with investigatory power is reading this.