Is it possible for the companies that have cell phone towers to combine their resources to

[shraby]

put a satellite in space to provide the service the towers do?
In light of the huge fires burning them up and knocking out the service as well as hurricanes doing the same thing not to mention earthquakes causing overload on the systems, it seems to me it would be the thing to do if it's possible.

If dish t.v. is possible, it seems satellite cell phone would also be feasible.

[Not Ruth]

1. Satellite phones exist

[shraby]

2. Why isn't there a push to expand since most disasters make the phones unusable?

[Cicada]

5. 22000 miles up and back causes delay in signal

A fifth of a second delay is probably noticeable, for one thing.

[lagomorph777]

9. True but if you can inform your family that you're OK, you might not care.

Or ask for help or whatever...

[JoeStuckInOH]

6. There;s nothing except a hefty pricetag preventing you from buying one.

I think modern rates are a bit better, like $0.75/minute (it gets cheaper the more minutes you buy in bulk) but the phones are still pretty pricey.

edit:
Here you go... $995 NON-Smart Phone - approx. $1/minute service.
https://satellitephonestore.com/catalog/sale/details/iridium-9555-satellite-phone-kit-4

[shraby]

14. Wouldn't the combining of companies resources and the uptick of users tend to bring the charges

down?

[JoeStuckInOH]

17. Cooperation between competing entities?

We cant even get health providers to collectively cooperate on the surface of the earth let alone telecom companies cooperating in space.

[lagomorph777]

3. Verizon already has this capability

My company has helped them build it. They have trucks that they drive to disaster zones and set up free Wi-Fi and cell service in emergency shelters. They've done it for several years now.

They also have permanent satellite backup (at all the stores) for Home Depot and Wal-Mart. These stores, of course, are often critical during disaster preparation and recovery. All those annoying TV advertising screens at Wal-Mart are actually connected to that satellite network, as a way to keep it constantly live.

[bathroommonkey76]

8. Those didn't exist whenever I was sent out to help during Katrina.

We camped at the John C. Stennis NASA base for a month and the only signal we had was a tiny sliver of the base. If we moved a few inches the signal would drop- I'm glad to hear Verizon has these mobile units now. But back then it was awful for Verizon's customers.

[lagomorph777]

10. Yeah, I think that was the impetus behind doing it.

[shraby]

11. That's all well and good, but there should be something done so Wi-Fi and cell service shouldn't

have to depend on trucks being brought to the area. They should make it so all cell and Wi-Fi goes through the satellite(s). As for charges, the individual companies should find a way to work that out among themselves.

It's better to use their technology to make every user more safe in cases of disaster. With computers to do the figuring out the various charges the different companies charge for their service, I'm sure they can find a working method.

There is also the case for the individual user losing service at a critical time, such as a lost person with a phone etc. That happens as well and with satellite service that should not happen.

[lagomorph777]

15. Physics is an issue there. Iridium phones are huge for a reason.

The distance to even Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites forces a requirement for lots of transmitter power and/or large antennas. The far more common Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellites forces the use of a dish at least 18" in diameter.

Pocket satellite phones are still a Jetsons thing I'm afraid. No average homeowner is going to carry them around any time soon.

[JoeStuckInOH]

4. Sat phones ahve been around since the 80's. (early 90's?)

They became more commercially available (outside of military) in the mid 90's. We had some issued to us for work-purposes. SUPER expensive to make calls with... like $1+ per minute. Our were Iridium Network (?) phones. Most decent size cell phone stores will sell you satphones and then you have to find a provider.

Also, service indoors and in the forest can be very spotty depending on time of day and amount of shit between you and the satellite. Ours were almost unusable in certain parts of the Appalachian mountains down in the gullys under the tree canopy.

[gvstn]

7. I think Elon Musk has plans for space based internet.

Not sure if something similar to cell phone towers would still be necessary--his plan is to reach sparsely populated and poor areas so perhaps no towers necessary, just suitable phones. https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/spacex-might-name-its-satellite-broadband-internet-service-starlink/

I thought I just heard something on NPR that he is having trouble getting authorization over fear of over-crowding our satellite orbits. Sounds to me like Verizon, AT&T etc. are getting our Congress to fall in line.

Sorry, about the vagueness of my memory.

[lagomorph777]

13. Elon Musk and many other billionaires are putting up their own satellite systems

It's a very exciting time for the industry; in the next few years, the total satellite capacity will increase by two orders of magnitude. Again. And the newer constellations are flying lower, which essentially eliminates the latency problem.

Concerns about overcrowding and space junk are legitimate, however this is a shared interest in the industry, and in the end they will be absolutely forced by physics to deal with it productively.

Interestingly, there seems to be a lot less "How can we block the other guy from launching?" and a lot more "How can we make a deal with the new guy to combine our systems and provide mega-performance?"

[gvstn]

18. Thanks for the more comprehensive info!

[bathroommonkey76]

12. This is what Google wants to do in Puerto Rico

Google is planning to use experimental high-altitude balloons to provide cell and internet coverage in Puerto Rico.

On Friday, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it had approved Google parent company Alphabet application to provide emergency cellular service to the Caribbean island.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico has struggled to regain communications services. 83% of cell sites remain out of service, the FCC says, while wireless communications company are deploying temporary sites.

Alphabet, which announced its Project Loon in 2013 to use solar-powered, high-altitude balloons to provide internet service in remote regions, said in an FCC filing it was working to "support licensed mobile carriers' restoration of limited communications capability" in Puerto Rico.


http://www.businessinsider.com/google-project-loon-balloons-internet-cell-puerto-rico-2017-10

[samir.g]

16. Google and Facebook are looking into a balloon-based solution

[lagomorph777]

19. Also solar drones

which would fly in circles over a service area, for months at a time.