[sashank_1509]

Surely funding cell towers in Africa / India is cheaper and easier to maintain than 100k satellites in space.

[wmf]

It's not but it's all so tiresome to explain why. Also, those (hypothetical) towers have no ROI because they only serve poor people. Starlink covers the entire world so parts of the world can subsidize service to other parts.

[triceratops]

> It's not but it's all so tiresome to explain why

I'd really love to hear it. Obviously you aren't obligated to provide an explanation but if someone else does it, I'm all ears.

> Also, those towers have no ROI because they only serve poor people

So why are they being built at all?

[wmf]

Towers aren't ever going to be built to cover the most rural areas. That's why Starlink is needed.

[triceratops]

I understand why it's good and necessary for the rural areas to have Starlink. I don't understand the big profit opportunity for Starlink in serving them.