
Japan’s SoftBank Invests $1B in Satellite Startup OneWeb - fmihaila
http://www.wsj.com/articles/satellite-startup-oneweb-raises-1-2-billion-in-funding-round-led-by-softbank-1482142137
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sethbannon
There are currently 4 billion people on earth with no access to the internet
whatsoever [1]. If that's not a massive problem that also represents a massive
business opportunity, I don't know what is.

1: [https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/4-billion-people-
stil...](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/4-billion-people-still-don-t-
have-internet-access-here-s-how-to-connect-them)

~~~
wahern
If they don't have internet access, they probably don't have much disposable
income. Also, those 4 billion people are spread across diverse legal
jurisdictions, not to mention diverse geographic, linguistic, and economic
regions.

I agree it's a massive problem, and I don't doubt there are business
opportunities. I just question how massive are those opportunities.

It's like shale oil--there's tons of it, but it's only profitable to extract
under the right circumstances.

~~~
intrasight
There are also millions of wealthy people who go places (even not far from
their homes) where there is no internet access. Remember that business is
about filling the area under the demand curve. I'd say that "internet
everywhere" is a massive opportunity.

~~~
wahern
A fair point. But there's a difference between a person not having internet
access and a place not having internet access. You'd be surprised at the far
flung locales that still have internet cafes and WiFi at hotels. The density
and quality of internet access in poorer areas is already going to be a
function of where wealthy people travel.

Also, you have to correctly judge the cost of service. Demand for internet
access is much more elastic than, say, demand for a cure for cancer. The
lesson from the Iridium constellation is that even wealthy people aren't
necessarily willing to pay as much as needed, or as often as needed, to recoup
investments. Iridium succeeded but the original company went bankrupt shortly
after starting service.

~~~
intrasight
But I want internet at my cabin in the woods - and I'm sure that I am not
alone. Lots of things have improved since Iridium, but I agree that that is a
warning to heed - you have to know the shape of that demand curve.

~~~
syedkarim
The entire world (even the most remote places) already has internet access
(VSAT, BGAN, etc). OneWeb is just supposed to make rural satellite internet
faster and cheaper.

~~~
dx034
Current internet via satellite is barely usable due to the extremely high
latency. It's better than nothing but many services are de facto not usable.
I've just been to Scotland and many places there have to rely on satellite
internet, I'm sure the vast majority of them would be happy to switch to lower
latency connections (and could pay well for it).

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kilroy123
When I first read about OneWeb (2 years ago?) I figured it would be vaporware.
However, things keep looking more and more promising.

I think these guys are finally going to open the door to having real mobile
internet anywhere in the world.

~~~
otoburb
I believe SpaceX is also gunning for a similar satellite constellation for
internet service[1]. The more serious players in this space, the better (no
pun intended).

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_satellite_constellation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_satellite_constellation)

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ChuckMcM
1996[1] to 2016 which puts it 20 years before its time (maybe). Given solar
cells and battery tech an airplane at 100K feet makes a lot more sense and
seems to have much easier maintenance mechanisms (land the plane
periodically).

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teledesic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teledesic)

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manarth

      easier maintenance mechanisms
    

It might cost more to put into orbit than to put up in a plane, but once
there, satellites don't tend to need maintenance.

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irq-1
I suppose connection to this or the SpaceX satellite system will be the new
short-wave radio -- borderless and uncontrollable by governments.

~~~
candiodari
Uncontrollable by governments ? Why ? Easy to disrupt the frequency and if
you're following the law you need a frequency license in the first place. If
you don't get one, they have a good reason to disrupt you even if that's the
only thing you're doing wrong.

~~~
pdabbadabba
That's all true. But isn't that all true of short-wave radio as well?

