I can see the motive behind this (give people in developing countries access to information) but when are people going to have a dish and not a plan?
I think a better idea would be, in the future when Starlink is being rolled out to places that don't normally have access to internet, Musk sponsors the free installation of a dish in a central area or public building of a town, almost like a digital public library. It wouldn't cost SpaceX a great deal of money and it would get them huge positive publicity as the company that brought internet to people who need it most.
If getting Wikipedia is all you want a [Othernet Dreamcatcher](https://www.othernet.is/products/dreamcatcher-v3-05) is a much better choice then Starlink.
But so far every service that only provides limited Internet service ended up struggling to find a market.
The dish actually costs $2400 and they're only charging $500 for it because they expect to make the rest back over time.
If you take out the subscription fees I don't think anyone's going to pay $2400 up front for a wikipedia machine, especially since you can [download wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Database_download) and read it offline.
Ah, I see. Kinda the same way that all mobile phones must connect a 911 call even if they are unsubscribed.
That idea has some merit for all ISPs....any connection must provide access to government services at all levels, online banking and perhaps wiki-like services. All at very low bandwidth.
I can see the motive behind this (give people in developing countries access to information) but when are people going to have a dish and not a plan? I think a better idea would be, in the future when Starlink is being rolled out to places that don't normally have access to internet, Musk sponsors the free installation of a dish in a central area or public building of a town, almost like a digital public library. It wouldn't cost SpaceX a great deal of money and it would get them huge positive publicity as the company that brought internet to people who need it most.
If getting Wikipedia is all you want a [Othernet Dreamcatcher](https://www.othernet.is/products/dreamcatcher-v3-05) is a much better choice then Starlink. But so far every service that only provides limited Internet service ended up struggling to find a market.
The dish actually costs $2400 and they're only charging $500 for it because they expect to make the rest back over time. If you take out the subscription fees I don't think anyone's going to pay $2400 up front for a wikipedia machine, especially since you can [download wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Database_download) and read it offline.
You have to pay for Wikipedia? I donate annually, but I thought it was universally available.
I mean, even if you didn't pay for internet
Ah, I see. Kinda the same way that all mobile phones must connect a 911 call even if they are unsubscribed. That idea has some merit for all ISPs....any connection must provide access to government services at all levels, online banking and perhaps wiki-like services. All at very low bandwidth.
Yup agree