XPost: alt.astronomy, alt.books.arthur-clarke

A benefit of space exploration - improved cell service
because of lower launch costs.

Read somewhere:

If cell service is poor in your area, keep an eye on coming
satellite service beamed directly to your smartphone.
Satellite start-ups Lynk Global, based in Va.,
and AST SpaceMobile, based in Texas, are working on it.

They plan to take advantage of falling launch costs and new,
small satellites to put constellations in orbit that can
connect to cell phones...no special satellite phone needed.

Va.’s Omnispace is developing a hybrid network of satellite
and cellular. Together, these companies have raised hundreds
of millions of dollars from investors eyeing a new global market.

Some analysts expect the commercial launch of such service
this year, on the heels of testing that has gone well so far.
Regulations and cellular standards still need to be hammered
out for the market to begin in earnest. That includes 5G
and satellite service being more integrated through the
evolving technical standards

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.astronomy, alt.books.arthur-clarke

"a425couple" wrote in message news:IkCGJ.12738$mj1.9188@fx02.iad...

A benefit of space exploration - improved cell service
because of lower launch costs.

Read somewhere:

If cell service is poor in your area, keep an eye on coming
satellite service beamed directly to your smartphone.
Satellite start-ups Lynk Global, based in Va.,
and AST SpaceMobile, based in Texas, are working on it.

They plan to take advantage of falling launch costs and new,
small satellites to put constellations in orbit that can
connect to cell phones...no special satellite phone needed.

Va.’s Omnispace is developing a hybrid network of satellite
and cellular. Together, these companies have raised hundreds
of millions of dollars from investors eyeing a new global market.

Some analysts expect the commercial launch of such service
this year, on the heels of testing that has gone well so far.
Regulations and cellular standards still need to be hammered
out for the market to begin in earnest. That includes 5G
and satellite service being more integrated through the
evolving technical standards

-----------------------

Finally!
I was building prototypes of similar digital radio systems 25 years ago.

GPS is a successful example of small hand-held devices that communicate with
a large constellation of rapidly moving (relatively) low orbit satellites, without a bulky tracking antenna. The difference is that GPS sends the same data to every user and doesn't have to listen to them.

The upper UHF TV frequency bands have been resold to cellular service. They
are below the original cellular frequencies and have longer range. One
reason the urban cellular system works so well is because its channels have very short range and thus can be re-used by other callers in nearby cells. https://www.mobilsat.com/band-71-fact-and-fiction/

If like me you prefer the ergonomics (handling) of flip phones, TCL sells inexpensive new ones that can operate on the long range bands and serve as Internet hotspots, replacing older cellular hotspots that will soon lose service. I don't want to risk breaking my iPhone when out cutting firewood.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

XPost: alt.astronomy, alt.books.arthur-clarke

"a425couple" wrote in message news:IkCGJ.12738$mj1.9188@fx02.iad...

A benefit of space exploration - improved cell service
because of lower launch costs.

------------------------

Motorola set up a satellite phone system in the 1990's that worked well but cost too much compared to cell phones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite_constellation

"The first spacecraft mock-up of this design was built in the garage
workshop in Santa Clara, California for the Bus PDR/CDR as a
proof-of-concept model."

I made the first proof-of-concept model of a proposed optical (laser)
crosslink between satellites in my home machine shop, partly in the garage. Actual metal parts for the project manager to handle can be more convincing than paper sketches of them.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)