On 4/17/21, jim bell <jdb10987@yahoo.com> wrote:
The Verge: Elon Musk says Starlink internet service will be ‘fully mobile’ in 2021. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/16/22388378/elon-musk-starlink-satellite-int... Jim Bell's comment: I imagine, and hope, that this news will signal the ability of the Starlink system to be used by people in "freedom-hostile" nations. But, that may depend on how this is implemented. Can anyone buy a dish and use it anywhere on Earth? Without regard to political boundaries?
All the new "Mobile Lifestyle", "Digital Workers", and yes even Internet Freedom in regions subject to various forms of censorship, are huge new markets that Starlink can capture. If Starlink wants to take the lead and push the envelope of Starlink adoption into these new frontiers, Starlink needs to accept prepayment for both the Starlink hardware, and the Starlink service, prepaid for up to an entire year of service upfront with one payment... using a variety of different leading cryptocurrencies... Monero-XMR, Bitcoin-BTC, Bitcoin_Cash-BCH, Ethereum-ETC, Zcash-ZEC, and so on over time as any broad pick of a top 10 list of distributed cryptocurrency leaders changes over the years. Tesla already accepts Bitcoin for its cars, and is now being rewarded by reaping many new sales upon making that leap into accepting distributed cryptocurrencies such as among the above for payment. Tesla's competitors are now losing uncaptured market share due to Tesla's wise choice to be the first to accept cryptocurrencies. Not only that, but just as Blockstream is broadcasting Bitcoin from satellite, satellite internet will naturally form strong synergies with distributed cryptocurrencies and the global marketplace, ecommerce, fintech, investing, etc. Starlink must now announce that it will accept cryptocurrencies for its internet service and hardware. Please note that "Digital / Mobile Nomads" "World Travellers" etc, have no use for, thus do not have a "service address" or anything else of the sort... they are in fact permanently mobile. Many live and work and travel in mobile Recreational Vehicles, hardly staying in one spot for more than a few weeks while travelling entire Continents. Starlink is perfect for this already existing and rapidly growing class of users. Not to mention the entire owner operated global Trucking industry, Sea Steaders, etc. Right now these travelling users must use prepaid cellular SIMs to get mobile internet service from the legacy cellular telecoms. That is very cumbersome for them, and is slow unreliable internet service, with monthly interruptions in their life and work to deal with paying bills all around the world in whatever national currencies they happen to be in that month, needing to get new local service in new locales, etc. Nor is cellular available in remote Land and Sea locations. Cellular is a huge pain and they are not happy users. If Starlink adopts a simple prepaid cryptocurrency subscription plan... what address and shipping method to mail the hardware to, and crypto prepayment for the dish and yearly service access by dish serial number, no more than that is needed... then Starlink can easily siphon tens of thousands of mobile users from the legacy Cellular Telcos. These new Starlink users will speak highly of such a simple service, and that will lead to even more sales. The new "Mobile Lifestyle" is a huge sales and marketing opportunity that Starlink needs to cater to, and with a new generation of competitors providing novel internet access in the coming decade, Starlink cannot afford to not capture them.