As a rural U.S. customer, I look forward to any new way of receiving my internet services, as my only option currently, is dsl, and it works marginally, at best.

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite seems to be the best hope for most rural aras. 5G might cover some areas but SAT can cover huge areas with a single access point in relatively quicker timeframe. Low orbit will help improve latency too vs high orbit, though latency not as important for streamers as for gamers. These newer systems should also have enough capacity for streamers. But hopefully caps will be reasonable.

It's all about competition and the incentive to invest. 5G requires fiber which requires adequate investment. The issue is that in most low-density areas, there's no incentive for companies to adequately invest. Some competition among lower-speed satellite providers may help improve speeds/service ...

... but there's another way. In MN, we have several co-ops delivering fiber internet to cities and townships under 1000, many of which receive grants from our state grant program. Co-ops are the obvious solution to world-class service at a reasonable price -- no spaceships needed.

How did you setup your co-ops? We have the same issue where I live

I'm not involved in that, but if I were you, I would reach out to the Institute of Local Self Reliance to learn more:)

I am with you on that.

I use NetBuddy at my vacation property which can not get reliable internet. The cell towers are about 3 miles away in line of site. I have security cameras there and the upload is good enough for that let alone download. Your milage may vary. They recently raised the price from $60 - $65 per month for the unlimited data plan (the only plan you can get).

https://netbuddy.co

Huh, I guess all of those Teslas won't need to use mobile data for much longer. I hope this pans out.

the actual autonomous driving processing is done onboard. Processing in the cloud would create unacceptable delay

Build it (without creating more future space junk), charge low-but-fair price, and we will come.

Would Africans countries be able to connect their homes with this internet from SpaceX?

The plan is that the network will blanket the globe with no detectable latency in Sat to Sat handoff. Pretty exciting stuff.

Beach Potato • 3 hours ago
Several Sat com builders here on the space coast are gearing up for a low orbit web of satellites that will bring home internet for $7 a month. SpaceX sent up 2 test sats last year and others are building new sats for other internet providers - its about to explode.

...
Starlink may not be the only game in town: The international OneWeb consortium, which includes Airbus and Virgin Orbit, aims to start setting up its own internet access constellation next year. A huge satellite construction facility is building 15 sats a day for One Web. Telesat Canada has already launched a prototype satellite for its broadband constellation, and Luxembourg-based LeoSat expects to launch its constellation in 2020.
There are a couple of Seattle-area connection to OneWeb’s plans. Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture, based in Kent, Wash., has OneWeb as a customer for future launches of its New Glenn orbital rocket. And a stealthy startup called EarthNow, based in Bellevue, Wash., plans to use satellites built by Airbus for 24/7 video feeds from low Earth orbit. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and OneWeb executive chairman Greg Wyler are among that venture’s backers.

Die Comcast.
Die Spectrum.
Die Cox.
Cox Time Warner.
You will perish like Blockbuster, by your own greed.

Sign me up. I use ATT currently as a hotspot.

The problem with satellite internet has always been the upload speed and this will be the same.

But should be OK for streamers, depending on caps.

No, these LEO satellites are not the same as the old geostationary satellites. Latency was the main issue with the old satellites as well as data caps. Although their download and upload speeds do leave much to be desired.

Several Sat com builders here on the space coast are gearing up for a low orbit web of satellites that will bring home internet for $7 a month. SpaceX sent up 2 test sats last year and others are building new sats for other internet providers - its about to explode. https://youtu.be/QrI6aCGdB0...
Starlink may not be the only game in town: The international OneWeb consortium, which includes Airbus and Virgin Orbit, aims to start setting up its own internet access constellation next year. A huge satellite construction facility is building 15 sats a day for One Web. Telesat Canada has already launched a prototype satellite for its broadband constellation, and Luxembourg-based LeoSat expects to launch its constellation in 2020.
There are a couple of Seattle-area connection to OneWeb’s plans. Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture, based in Kent, Wash., has OneWeb as a customer for future launches of its New Glenn orbital rocket. And a stealthy startup called EarthNow, based in Bellevue, Wash., plans to use satellites built by Airbus for 24/7 video feeds from low Earth orbit. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and OneWeb executive chairman Greg Wyler are among that venture’s backers.

Here in NW rural OR, we only have Spectrum, Verizon Hot Spot, or Hughes Net. I go with Spectrum as it is the best for the price. 100 down for $65 a month. No DSL is available.

Don't need that many sat's in orbit. Run fiber to the home

Construction and maintenance are expensive so density of population are the drivers where this is feasible. The Gentleman above that mentioned co-ops is a wise solution. I worked on CATV co-ops 30 years ago to areas that would never have had it available without local investment and ownership. The same principle could be used for fiber networks that once built would be prime for purchase by larger corporations.

I wish it were that simple. I live less than a mile outside the city limits of the 5th largest city in Alaska. There is no terrestrial internet available. No DSL, no fiber, not even dial up. Only options are satellite and cell phone. ISPs have zero interest in expanding their network. I definitely look forward to LEO satellite service coming available.

Why not, there is a lot of space up there, plus its 3D not like the 2D surface. plus these are small satellites less than 500kg.
There are over a billion cars on the planet at three times that size and still plenty of room.

229 million square miles SA at its predicted orbit.

How small do you think the space orbit around Earth is?

it's just more junk quite honestly, people said the same thing about the ocean, now look at all the plastic and other useless stuff in it. We are supposed to learn from our mistakes.

We're talking about one satellite for ever 5000-8000 miles. To improve data communication.

You're wanting to dig up Earth and lay more fiber inside it where it will rot and have other possible negative effects on the ecosystem after a few decades. Every house having its own dedicated line.

Why do you think your solution is more eco-friendly than the satellite solution?

Fiber to the home would be great if you can get it. Much of the current fiber offerings aren't FTTH but Fiber to a local node and copper wire to the home (some of which it decades old). It's hard enough getting companies interested in updating their infrastructure in many urban/suburban areas let alone get them to run mile upon mile of wire in rural areas where the number of customers make the cost per head huge. Although I don't know a ton about the particulars so could be off on some of it.