zlacker

>>alden5+(OP)
So that is "432 Mbit/s per laser, and 9000 lasers total". I don't know you guys but I find that statement much more relatable than "42 PB/day". Interestingly, they also say each laser "can sustain a 100Gbps connection per link" (although another part of the article even claims 200 Gbit/s). That means each laser is grossly underused on average, at 0.432% of its maximum capacity. Which makes sense since 100 Gbit/s is probably achievable in ideal situations (eg. 2 satellites very close to each other), so these laser links are used in bursts and the link stays established only for a few tens of seconds or minutes, until the satellites move away and no longer are within line of sight of each other.

And with 2.3M customers, that's an average 1.7 Mbit/s per customer, or 550 GB per customer per month, which is kinda high. The average American internet user probably consumes less than 100 GB/month. (HN readers are probably outliers; I consume about 1 TB/month).

>>mrb+b46
I think the average Instagram or TikTok user must be using more than 100GB/month. And if you count YouTube and Netflix, it's probably more than that.

>>yosito+986
Is resolution going to peak? Like speeding on a highway are there diminishing returns? On the other hand, bandwidth availability seems to also drive demand...

>>calvin+k86
> Is resolution going to peak?

It should. At some point you are beyond any difference a human eye can detect on a tv or monitor you’re sitting less than 10ft away from.

It probably won’t though because capitalism means there has to be a reason to sell you a new widget and 3D was an utter failure.