(FIXED)The vast majority of our stratosphere isn’t polluted by satellites - airborne communications stations will change that
Apart from space junk, satellites have massive carbon footprint.
https://astrodon.social/@jknodlseder/113028380162373253
This problem seems like it was already solved using satellites.
The only real niche I see for this is during natural disasters, which could get a cell network back online in a limited capacity. But even then, it seems like it would be cheaper to just run some more diesel out to the cell towers’ backup generators.
The issue with that is getting information in and out of the disaster area. It’s all well and good having a cell tower online, if the back haul network is down.
Technology like this would, in theory, be able to reach outside the disaster area and get clear communication with the outside world.
Problem is that a lot of that remaining third live in countries where the state will actively try to destroy the air craft to keep their people insulated from the wider global internet
Who needs food and clean drinking water when you can have Internet.
Democratization of communication resources substantially helps other facets. I hate this sort of knee jerk whataboutism. Aid can and should be multifaceted.
I agree, but there is a pretty substantial list of stuff to arrange before internet becomes a thing people need… Granted, internet can help with some of them. But focussing on the primary things to keep people alive and allow them to Prosper seems good form.
“Don’t you people have phones”…
Just an example, but I’ve worked in central Africa and was recently at a very rural hospital where there was no running water and no electricity (other than local solar), and while there they received an airborne blood delivery via drone from a facility about 100 miles and about 4 hour drive time away. This was extremely helpful and managed through Internet communication.
Fair enough
Internet access means access to information on all sorts of things that can improve their day to day lives.
Physical resources are also important, obviously, but the free availability of information resources genuinely is life changing.
They can order both on Amazon duh…
One Laptop Per Child energy.
Oh yeah, let’s build our infrastructure project based on tech that requires a large amount of helium. You know, that element that is extremely hard to store and transport. Yes, the one that’s already scarce and is required for vastly more important technologies.
I don’t see what the problem is, it’s not like helium production is a byproduct of an energy sector were trying to rapidly divest from…
They should just use hydrogen… you won’t even have to worry about recovering anything if there is an accident.
Just what Comcast needs, a fleet of very slow cruise missiles.
Can’t wait for them to park their buoyant IED router above my house if I don’t upgrade to the game day package.
Great for the 4th of July celebrations!
The router crashed will become far more literal than it previously was.
Doesnt starlink solve this?
One man controlling access to a sizable percentage of the world’s internet access doesn’t solve much.
I think there are a lot of ways this is technologically solvable. Imho this is an economic challenge, not a technological one.
Yes and there is also OneWeb and eventually Kuiper.
Orrrrrrrr…hear me out…
We ALL just stop. We say no to these overinflated bundle prices, we say no to corporate censorship, we say no to the human trafficing. Elon musk will have paid 43 BILLION dollars for…nothing.
This has been a popsci fantasy for a quarter of a century or more. Google tried it and gave up.
And food, but let’s get Internet first to ask them if they’re hungry.
