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by sandworm101 817 days ago
Im already seeing an impact. Rural wifi networks are being replaced by starlink, at least for those able to afford it. Starlink is certainly faster to setup and maintain, but remains far more expensive day to day than a rural wifi net.

I have family on a rural network with solar-powered relays setup on islands. New retirees to the area are just buying starlink without even asking about the local net. So it is no longer being expanded to new locations/islands. The new people also dont want relays on thier land. They dont support the local/cheap option it because they have been sold starlink by whatever off-grid company is setting up thier new cabin.
3 comments
ponector 817 days ago
But is local option really cheap?

From my experience it is quite the opposite: they know you have nowhere else to go so you will buy their connection anyway.

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sandworm101 817 days ago
That depends on the service. Many rural wifi nets serve less than a few hundred customers and rely on the good will of landowners to allow stations on their land.

Much depends on geography. In the flat areas of the midwest there are tall towers serving expansive areas. Those are the ones with licenses and local monopolies. But in rough or mountainous terrain the net requires lots of little relay stations and is done using non-licensed 2.4ghz spectrum. Those small companies remain friendly because they know anyone can jump in and compete. The one my family is on relies on a chain of relays on islands to connect a couple villages to a local cell tower location where there is fiber. Everyone knows the cell service is bad and there is no wired internet. So when the relay stations need fixing, boats and skilled labor show up to help get the town back online.

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skrbjc 817 days ago
It seems like starlink is a perfect option for this type of situation.

>So when the relay stations need fixing, boats and skilled labor show up to help get the town back online.

I'm sure if you factor in the costs of this plus the nontangible costs of downtime, Starlink is far superior, even if it is more expensive.

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JumpCrisscross 817 days ago
> dont support the local/cheap option it because they have been sold starlink

Has your family tried talking to any of them about it?

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koenigdavidmj 817 days ago
The San Juans?
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sandworm101 817 days ago
Close. BC coastal area.
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