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Charity Raising Money To Buy Used Satellite

Posted by samzenpus on from the asynchronous-bargain dept.

Zothecula writes "For those of us who live in the developed world, internet access has become pretty much a given. It's become so ubiquitous that we almost expect to have it at all times and in all places, but even in this 'Information Age,' the majority of the world's population lacks access to the internet – either because service isn't available where they are, or they can't afford it. Kosta Grammatis has a plan, however. Through his charity group ahumanright.org, Grammatis aims to set up a network of satellites that will provide free internet access to everyone in the world. He's starting by attempting to buy a single used satellite that's already in orbit and moving it to a location above a developing country."

10 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Free access for all... by Llamahand · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...with a satellite receiver and a computer. Oh, and electricity. And probably enough food and water not to die before they get online.

    1. Re:Free access for all... by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I've heard that logic before somewhere...

      Solving one deficiency can occur in a separate channel and in a separate timeframe than other deficiencies and still be valuable in any sphere where development is not wholly homogeneous. Or, put more simply, where there are some people in the developing world that have all the prerequisites and still no internet, this potentially helps them (though I'm not sure how they're even expected to receive the signals).

      --
      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
    2. Re:Free access for all... by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Not in sub-Saharan Africa or even India.

      India has 33.77 million land lines wired, 670 million cellular phones.

      For sub-Saharan Africa, a place like Cameroon has 323,000 wired phones for a population of 19.3 million people.

    3. Re:Free access for all... by betterunixthanunix · · Score: 3, Informative

      "Developing nation" does not necessarily mean "nation filled with people who are starving and lack clothes." Additionally, it is not necessarily the case that the people targeted by this program would want Internet access in their homes; I have heard that in some very rural areas in developing nations, it is common for a village to possess a few communally owned cell phones (apparently they can get reception) which they use for long distance communications. I think it is likely that in such places, a single communal computer with an Internet connection would be greatly appreciated.

      --
      Palm trees and 8
    4. Re:Free access for all... by corbettw · · Score: 3, Informative

      Only in places that already have them. Otherwise they use microwave to connect together.

      Oh, and connecting a single tower with a line is a lot more efficient than connection thousands of homes.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  2. Woot! by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    The moment some impoverished person starts sharing a shitty screener of True Grit, the MPAA will have a missile launched at the satellite.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  3. This might be the answer to the Kill Switch by StillNeedMoreCoffee · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If we had the satelites above then it might be possible to bypass the kill switch in any country. Remove the Kill Switch option through parallel paths.

    1. Re:This might be the answer to the Kill Switch by vlm · · Score: 4, Funny

      If it gets to the point that a government has and uses a kill switch chances are they won't blink at having to shoot a satellite down.

      Its harder to do that you'd think. If a countries greatest achievement is a giant pile of rocks, they're probably not going to be successful.

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
  4. Re:be more like Tonga by BJ_Covert_Action · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Interestingly enough, Tonga is also the location that Interorbital Systems decided would serve best for their launch site because the country was so friendly to the idea of developing the space industry. Each time I hear about it I learn a little bit more about this interesting little country.

    --
    Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
  5. You don't know anything... by mangu · · Score: 4, Informative

    Buying a used satellite is like buying a used bus... the only reason someone would sell it is because it has become cheaper to buy a new one than to maintain the old one!

    If you believe that, you don't know anything about the satellite communications business.

    I've been working at this for over a quarter of a century, and let me tell you that there are many factors that would influence buying a used satellite.

    - How much remaining lifetime does it have?
    - Do I need it right now, or can I wait the 2 years+ it would take to build a new one?
    - Is it in inclined orbit?
    - What's the coverage footprint?
    - What's the frequency plan?
    - What's the EIRP?
    - What's the receive G/T?
    - Do I have the landing rights?
    - Does it have failed transponders, or any other failure?

    It often happens that one has a satellite that will be perfect for someone else, but for our own specific purpose we need a replacement.