this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024
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Futurology
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There is no word on pricing, but I wonder how much each drone might cost? They don't look particularly complicated. Even if each of them cost $100,000, that would provide blanket 5G coverage to all of Africa for $15 billion. For context, the total 2024 telecoms spending in Africa is expected to be $63 billion.
I haven't read about this, but I suspect this is going to be more useful for low population density areas. There is usually a connection cap that will be far too low for any kind of urban use. That's okay, though. It's usually easier and cheaper per user to have ground-based installations in an urban setting. This could be a great option to extend coverage in rural zones.
Same for Starlink. There’s only so much bandwidth even a very modern antenna can have. And something flying is going to be power-limited as well.
Same for Starlink. There's only so much bandwidth even a very modern antenna can have. And something flying is going to be power-limited as well.
It sounds like a Starlink satellite costs more than a million dollars, so that’s a pretty good deal if so. I wonder why this isn’t a thing already?
It sounds like a Starlink satellite costs more than a million dollars, so that's a pretty good deal if so. I wonder why this isn't a thing already?