Starlink : Markets and Marketing

[ClayJar]

86 million satellite internet users in the world in 2024 seems incorrect - is there any source for that number?

I assumed that the whole thing was malarkey, given the first five words:

Looking up on Google AI

Factuality is not a constraint in current LLM-style AI.

[seb21051]

86 million satellite internet users in the world in 2024 seems incorrect - is there any source for that number?

I assumed that the whole thing was malarkey, given the first five words:

Looking up on Google AI

Factuality is not a constraint in current LLM-style AI.

Well, Google AI led me to this report, from what I assume (perhaps incorrectly) is a good source:

https://www.euroconsult-ec.com/press-release/2-6-billion-remained-unconnected-to-broadband-at-the-end-of-2022-a-74-billion-untapped-opportunity/#:~:text=Euroconsult%20estimates%20that%20service%20revenues,Sydney%2C%20April%2012%2C%202023.

Euroconsult says that by 2022 globally there were 71 million active satellite internet broadband users, and that they estimate by 2031 there will be around 150m, or am I misreading things?

[Rebel44]

86 million satellite internet users in the world in 2024 seems incorrect - is there any source for that number?

I assumed that the whole thing was malarkey, given the first five words:

Looking up on Google AI

Factuality is not a constraint in current LLM-style AI.

Well, Google AI led me to this report, from what I assume (perhaps incorrectly) is a good source:

https://www.euroconsult-ec.com/press-release/2-6-billion-remained-unconnected-to-broadband-at-the-end-of-2022-a-74-billion-untapped-opportunity/#:~:text=Euroconsult%20estimates%20that%20service%20revenues,Sydney%2C%20April%2012%2C%202023.

Euroconsult says that by 2022 globally there were 71 million active satellite internet broadband users, and that they estimate by 2031 there will be around 150m, or am I misreading things?

That report is obviously useless garbage

[seb21051]

86 million satellite internet users in the world in 2024 seems incorrect - is there any source for that number?

I assumed that the whole thing was malarkey, given the first five words:

Looking up on Google AI

Factuality is not a constraint in current LLM-style AI.

Well, Google AI led me to this report, from what I assume (perhaps incorrectly) is a good source:

https://www.euroconsult-ec.com/press-release/2-6-billion-remained-unconnected-to-broadband-at-the-end-of-2022-a-74-billion-untapped-opportunity/#:~:text=Euroconsult%20estimates%20that%20service%20revenues,Sydney%2C%20April%2012%2C%202023.

Euroconsult says that by 2022 globally there were 71 million active satellite internet broadband users, and that they estimate by 2031 there will be around 150m, or am I misreading things?

That report is obviously useless garbage

Would you happen to have any more believable sources?

[OceanCat]

86 million satellite internet users in the world in 2024 seems incorrect - is there any source for that number?

I assumed that the whole thing was malarkey, given the first five words:

Looking up on Google AI

Factuality is not a constraint in current LLM-style AI.

Well, Google AI led me to this report, from what I assume (perhaps incorrectly) is a good source:

https://www.euroconsult-ec.com/press-release/2-6-billion-remained-unconnected-to-broadband-at-the-end-of-2022-a-74-billion-untapped-opportunity/#:~:text=Euroconsult%20estimates%20that%20service%20revenues,Sydney%2C%20April%2012%2C%202023.

Euroconsult says that by 2022 globally there were 71 million active satellite internet broadband users, and that they estimate by 2031 there will be around 150m, or am I misreading things?

That report is obviously useless garbage

Would you happen to have any more believable sources?

NSR report CONSUMER AND ENTERPRISE BROADBAND VIA SATELLITE, 22ND EDITION

https://www.nsr.com/?research=consumer-and-enterprise-broadband-via-satellite-22nd-edition

It's behind $8,995 paywall but the info we are discussing is in the free report summary. I measured the size of the left sub-columns in the attached chart. Worldwide VSAT 2022 installed base:

* Fixed enterprise: 2.5 million
* Consumer broadband: 3.3 million (including 1 million Starlink subscribers)

[seb21051]

Much appreciated! Are all broadband internet satellites classified as VSAT?

In other words, does Starlink classify as VSAT?

This is what Wikipedia has to say about VSAT:

A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT)[1] is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Bit rates, in most cases, range from 4 kbit/s up to 16 Mbit/s. VSATs access satellites in geosynchronous orbit or geostationary orbit to relay data from small remote Earth stations (terminals) to other terminals (in mesh topology) or master Earth station "hubs" (in star topology).

VSATs are used to transmit narrowband data (e.g., point-of-sale transactions using credit cards, polling or RFID data, or SCADA), or broadband data (for the provision of satellite Internet access to remote locations, VoIP or video). VSATs are also used for transportable, on-the-move (utilising phased array antennas) or mobile maritime communications.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-small-aperture_terminal

[RedLineTrain]

So, if Starlink has about 3m presently, adding around 125,000 per month or 1.5m per year, their percentage gain is about 32% or one third of the global increase.

So by the time Kuiper starts actively getting users at the start of 2025, Starlink should be up to around 3.7m, with about 7,000 sats in orbit.

Depending on Kuiper's pricing, and performance, we should see some interesting developments.

Just as with EVs, I suspect the price wars will start, and it should be interesting where they shake out.

There should be a flood of terminals in the next year, year and a half, with the Bastrop plant being brought on line and the introduction of Starlink Mini.  SpaceX has guided for a doubling of customers this year.

[OceanCat]

Much appreciated! Are all broadband internet satellites classified as VSAT?

In other words, does Starlink classify as VSAT?

This is what Wikipedia has to say about VSAT:

A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT)[1] is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Bit rates, in most cases, range from 4 kbit/s up to 16 Mbit/s. VSATs access satellites in geosynchronous orbit or geostationary orbit to relay data from small remote Earth stations (terminals) to other terminals (in mesh topology) or master Earth station "hubs" (in star topology).

VSATs are used to transmit narrowband data (e.g., point-of-sale transactions using credit cards, polling or RFID data, or SCADA), or broadband data (for the provision of satellite Internet access to remote locations, VoIP or video). VSATs are also used for transportable, on-the-move (utilising phased array antennas) or mobile maritime communications.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-small-aperture_terminal

Yes, Starlink antenna is a VSAT antenna. Aperture refers to the surface area Ae through which most of the transmitted power passes. The type of the antenna (parabolic, phased-array, horn, etc.) does not matter.

[OceanCat]

Starlink in Zimbabwe. Yesterday ZTN interviewed IMC Communications MD, Danny Marandure (ex-ZOL). 23 takeaways from the interview. Danny said...
1. Starlink works with companies approved by their governments
2. GoZ (not Starlink) chose IMC to be the sole Starlink partner in Zimbabwe
3. The licensing process is still underway
4. POTRAZ DG told us it's not about if but when the license will be issued
5. License fees not yet paid, amount not yet known
6. The President's announcement legalized Starlink
7. We will roll out as soon as our license is out
8. President of Zimbabwe wants Starlink sooner, if possible before the SADC Summit in Harare
9. We still have to sign re-sale agreements
10. There are about 5k+ kits on Starlink roam in Zimbabwe
11. We plan to migrate the 5k+ kits onto our platform
12. We can switch off kits [as needed].
13. We are still doing our calculations, the kits will be anywhere between USD450-USD500 each
14. Enterprise kits for schools, & businesses will be about USD2.5k
15. IMC to partner with local microfinance institution(s) to make kits affordable
16. Monthly subscription will be about USD50.00 unlimited internet
17. We have a huge Starlink kit waiting list. E.g, we have one order of 2k kits
18. We are not competing with fiber, we are complimenting fiber
19. Vsat is outdated & must be phased out.
20. Rural Zimbabwe, mines & resorts need connectivity. I will bring that change
21. We will set up community internet zones in rural villages
22. Elon Musk is working on increasing Starlink upload speeds
23. I invited Zambia's Starlink partners so we (IMC) can learn from them

https://x.com/Tonderai_Matty/status/1809496978285363473

[RedLineTrain]

Very interesting and confirms the worst.  I expect Zimbabwe to be perpetually “coming soon.”

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/ajtourville/status/1810349363308216344

Sri Lanka's parliament will vote this week to change a law to allow Elon Musk's @Starlink, the satellite unit of SpaceX, to set up operations in the South Asian island nation.

“There are lots of challenges to constructing telecom towers but Starlink can increase internet access faster, particularly in rural areas and support economic growth,” said Kanaka Herath, the state minister of technology.

https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/portal-in-portal/satcom/sri-lanka-set-to-amend-decades-old-law-to-pave-starlink-entry/111580799

[OceanCat]

Roadside billboards for residential internet service by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite company are plastered across I-70 in rural western Kansas right now. I took this pic today (July 7th, 2024) just outside of WaKeeney, KS.

[RedLineTrain]

Starlink director meeting with Bhutan prime minister.

Tshering Tobgay @tsheringtobgay
Pleased to meet Ms. Rebecca Hunter, Director of Global Licensing @Starlink and explore the potential of bringing Starlink services to Bhutan. Discussed how Starlink’s internet technology could profoundly enhance connectivity across our country.

https://twitter.com/tsheringtobgay/status/1812841904368689333

[RedLineTrain]

Two-thirds or more of the populace of the Falkland Islands have signed a petition to legalize use of Starlink without or with only a minimal VSAT license.  Attached are the petition demands.  Amazing response to a new product!

[freddo411]

Two-thirds or more of the populace of the Falkland Islands have signed a petition to legalize use of Starlink without or with only a minimal VSAT license.  Attached are the petition demands.  Amazing response to a new product!

We are here from the gov't.   To tax the internet from the sky.    How ridiculous

[matthewkantar]

Taxation is undesirable, but SpaceX now has the ability to suck vast sums of money out of almost every economy on the planet. Though theoretically having universal internet access will bring money back in, Starlink May be viewed by politicians as an economic vampire.

Edit: The balance of humanity may view politicians as economic vampires, your results may vary.

[RedLineTrain]

Politicians the world over may find it convenient to embrace Starlink.  Here's an about-face that could give whiplash.

Like many other countries recently, Tonga had significant internet outages because a submarine fiber optic cable was cut due to an earthquake.  In the span of a week, the Prime Minister course corrected from dismissive hostility to Starlink to granting a temporary license.

In response to the increasing numbers moving to Starlink, the government on 9 July instructed Starlink to cease its services in Tonga, after their regulator asserted that the Starlink terminals were illegal and had to be stopped.

The Prime Minister said the loss of communications was an “inconvenience” and told those affected by the cable outage “the law cannot be put aside just because you have slow internet.”

Today MEIDECC, in a change of heart, stated “the temporary permit issued to Starlink includes several conditions aimed at ensuring compliance with government regulations and addressing a significant amount of concerns raised by the public.

https://matangitonga.to/2024/07/19/tonga-grants-starlink-provisional-temp-permit

[DistantTemple]

Two-thirds or more of the populace of the Falkland Islands have signed a petition to legalize use of Starlink without or with only a minimal VSAT license.  Attached are the petition demands.  Amazing response to a new product!
snip ... see video in posts above!

We are here from the gov't.   To tax the internet from the sky.    How ridiculous

Sounds like the whole of the Falkland islands signed a contract with one supplier in 2016 for 12 years!!!!
Remember in 2016 Starlink was announced (Jan 2015), but the first experimental satelites would not launch until 2018. 
So 12 years appears unwise from the islander's point of view! However Starlink's speed of development is an amazing leap forward from all previous related systems. Which could be considered unanticipated.

[meekGee]

Taxation is undesirable, but SpaceX now has the ability to suck vast sums of money out of almost every economy on the planet. Though theoretically having universal internet access will bring money back in, Starlink May be viewed by politicians as an economic vampire.

Edit: The balance of humanity may view politicians as economic vampires, your results may vary.

Musk is some piece of work, but say what you will, his ability to poke established stagnant over-confident industries in the eye is absolutely endearing. And the list is only getting longer...  I'm SMHing and rooting for him at the same time.

[freddo411]

Taxation is undesirable, but SpaceX now has the ability to suck vast sums of money out of almost every economy on the planet. Though theoretically having universal internet access will bring money back in, Starlink May be viewed by politicians as an economic vampire.

Edit: The balance of humanity may view politicians as economic vampires, your results may vary.

I don't think providing a valid, voluntary service to people, for a price ... is anything like  "sucking vast sums of money" out of an economy.    The scale of paying for starlink's service isn't very large in terms of almost all economies