RE: Sat threat8 Sep 2025 21:22
"From @nextbigfuture, a reliable tech guy"
I just looked them up and in my opinion they're either talking their own book, or they're dreamer's. I used to work in Terrestrial line of sight microwave radio and saw the problems associated with microwave communications. Even at 300Km, for a LEO satellite directly overhead, the free space path loss will be significant and even if the satellite array downlink can cope with multiple connection's, the mobile to satellite uplink's for multiple calls will have serious problems. I don't care what the hype merchants say, Leo will never ever ever compete with terrestrial communications in developed countries. As I've said previously, a much more sensible system is for the Satellite providers to offer backhaul to the terrestrial providers, where rural areas can be served by a small 5G Cell with a transceiver and high gain antenna for uplink/downlink to the satellites.
Apparently a mobile phone can reach a peak power of around 2 Watts, but data is transmitted in bursts so the actual energy used over time is much lower, "with time-averaged powers in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 watts". The antenna in a mobile phone is omnidirectional, so there's little directional gain attributed to the antenna in the phone. Direct to mobile service will be useful if you're climbing mountains in the Himalayas, or on a desert island, or on a boat out on the ocean, but it'll be useless for providing service to multiple users in urban areas; Anyone suggesting different, clearly doesn't understand RF.
Even the Computer says NO when it comes to LEO's being a threat to MNO's mole.