Re: The Verge: Elon Musk says Starlink internet service will be ‘fully mobile’ in 2021

[grarpamp]

On 4/17/21, jim bell <jdb10987 at 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-internet-service-moving-vehicles-trucks-2021
> 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.