Internet Cut off - solutions

Hi Peter you make very valid points. Thanks for that. However personally I believe that despite the drawbacks due to ethical issues the most urgent need is to make the internet accessible to all in all countries.tah. jean

Hi Peter indeed data could be available and accessible but for genuine individuals and causes they are more of a track record, their mark on history. Tah. Jean

Great comment. But I believe with vision what seems impossible can be made possible. We need devil's advocates like you to further the advancement of the liberalised internet for everyone. Cheers. Tah

Hi Keith the idea is not to replace the internet but introduce redundancy. Cheers. Jean

Hi Keith I have done the lightweight prototype however it would be unfair to divulge the techniques that are available because it will be to the detriment of those guys desperate to make their voices heard. Tah. Jean

I suppose one has to differentiate the professional use of the internet from the public abuse mostly represented by the 'social' apps including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the cable "news" channels amount others. There was a time when one could 'Google', as an example, information and get reasonable results whereas now one gets mostly paid advertising with your interests sold to the highest bidder. If I try and research for a specific car, I get three months of unsolicited material on every model made. Sometimes I think temporary loss of internet access is a good thing

I believe technology is advancing faster than the public's ability to understand it let alone manage it.

Anyway, that's my rant for today.

I certainly won't disparage satellite communications, since my background is aerospace and delivering mobile satellite broadband systems is on my resume.

While future technology will certainly improve, as a PM it is important to understand the current state of the art, and the feasibility of proposed technology based solutions.

Does the technology exist? Yes. Are the hurdles insurmountable? It depends.

The current technology available to the general public has significant limitations. If you want to upgrade the technology, you are limited to the laws of physics, the hardware, and the software. The energy to put hardware in orbit is extremely expensive and limited to the capacity of launch vehicles, so you can't change it overnight. Software solutions such as compression can't overcome every hardware limitation. If you have infinite money and time, many things are possible but not necessarily practical.

Addressing the question as a PM: If I lost access to the internet tomorrow, could I do my job entirely with satellite phones? The answer would be: I could still do some things, but not others without a significant expense and delay using the currently available technology.

I agree with you Peter. This project is not for consumers but for people in distress who need to get their cries out from their locks. Thanks for posting. Tah. Jean

Hi Keith, I respect your expertise in Aerospace. Your input is very enlightening. Indeed at first the technology to enable such a project could be daunting to develop and expensive, but as time progress and the world becomes more uncertain I believe such a project will gain relevance, particularly for those who have no other means to make themselves heard by the world. This technology is first not a consumer technology but maybe for sensitive humanitarian situations where it may be a life and death situation or strategic geo situations. Tah. Jean