"In 2020, SpaceX plans to launch 60 Starlink satellites every two weeks, ostensibly to create a functional global internet service by the end of the year.
- Customers would connect to Starlink using what Musk described on Tuesday as a device that looks like a "UFO on a stick" and only needs to be plugged in and pointed skyward.
- Computer scientist Mark Handley previously calculated that Starlink can beat fiber-optic cables, in terms of round trip travel time for user data. However, that was before SpaceX said a key satellite-to-satellite laser technology wouldn't be ready to launch until the end of 2020.
- But Handley thinks SpaceX will use the "UFO" terminals as ground stations — a scheme that could be nearly as fast as laser links, and even faster than lasers alone when used in combination.
- This suggests Starlink subscribers could become critical parts of a global, high-speed, and resilient mesh network instead of just end users. Business Insider
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I have a few business oriented questions about Starlink.
1. Will Starlink handle traffic other than e-mail?
2. Will Starlink have a giant business office to deal directly with customers?
3. If Starlink handles all the kinds of traffic that the present internet transmits, who will be the content providers for TeeVee transmitted via Starlink?
4. Am I correct in thinking that Starlink will drive present ISPs from the market? pl
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-ufo-terminals-how-network-works-2020-1
