[bperson]

Their nimbyism is silly. Nothing is going to hold back this next period. The entire planet will be connected soon and that's when the internet moves out of alpha and into beta. Complaining about a few thousand satellites will seem quant in ten years :P

[olivierduval]

"The entire planet will be connected soon"... but WHY ???? To allow Facebook (and SV) dream of selling ads all around the world ???

Does the world need it ? Does the world even ask for it ?

Sure, I like internet... but only WHERE and WHEN I want to, not anytime and everywhere !

[manquer]

There are hundreds of real world applications that benefit from connectivity.

For example Self driving would really benefit from connectivity for deeper learning models to get to level 5.

Telemedicine , remote learning all have huge potential with connectivity all around the world. Education in developing countries which suffer from lack of infrastructure can (and already does) benefit from tech driven learning

It is easy to say you don't want connectivity everywhere when you don't experience that lack of connectivity a lot of the people do.

It is hard to imagine the kind of applications that will come just like it was hard to imagine what came with web 2.0 /1.0 before .

Also a lot of pressure on urban migration would really reduce with global connectivity. I already know many people moving or considering to move to a rural location with better quality of life only because of starlink.

[olivierduval]

Good point! And it make me think... Why do WE (western people or US peaople) want global connectivity ? To bring some "civilization" all around the country (humanist reason) ?

In that case, how will people in "poor" countries will be able to use it ? Self driving cars ??? Even for the few that can afford it (in the next 10 years), you'll obviously will need a decent road infrastructure... Telemedecine ? Super !!! But is there enough doctor and basic med supply (and cheap enough) ?

So, I guess that the real use will be for internet... In the best case for news and education. But in that case, will it be "cheap enough" for the people in these countries to afford it ? Or will it financially available only to tourists and remote worker ?

[manquer]

Telemedicine works in developing countries because it is easier for a specialist to consult remotely when there are so few of them and being in all locations is not feasible.

For primary care, it helps in preventive care more than cure. Earlier detection of issues can make handling them a lot easier.

You need telemedicine precisely because there are few doctors to go around, and care can be expensive.

There are already few well funded startups offering this along with medicine delivery in India for example, who are doing well. 4G and mobile penetration makes it possible, it doesn't cover everyone but it makes a difference to a large chunk of the population.

[panick21]

> Does the world need it ? Does the world even ask for it ?

Yes

> Sure, I like internet... but only WHERE and WHEN I want to, not anytime and everywhere !

Turn of your phone.

[olivierduval]

Sorry, I meant: is it their top priority ?

[panick21]

Top priority compared to water, no of course not.

But if we have a commercially viable solution that solve a number of problems, why not do it?

[DangitBobby]

A significant portion of the planet's popularion still doesn't have access to reliable high-speed internet in their homes, let alone where they want to.