Ann: SAS to Partner with Developing World Smartphone Leader, page-34

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zacch

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21/02/17

05:51

Post #: 22765301
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Originally posted by paprad ↑

The whole premise of owning a smartphone is the ability is to connect to the internet.
But SAS aren't building a broadband or wifi anywhere network.
SAS is building a narrow band communications network.
How long will it be before another satellite company offers broadband coverage to equitorial africa, and what will become of the SAS network then?

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I asked SAS your question. I worded it like this:

SAS aren't building a broadband or "WiFi anywhere" network; you're building a narrowband communications network. It's reasonable to think that another company could eventually build a satellite constellation to offer broadband coverage to the equatorial area, or global for that matter. What is your plan to stay relevant in this potential future?

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This is their answer:

The reason we decided to start with narrowband is because technology for such a service direct to a mobile device already exists and can be offered at a reasonable price.
Broadband Gigabit per second services requires large Ka antennas (like O3b hub or regular comsats).
We're building the service and our market now, so when technology will allow (and its only a question of when) we could immediately upgrade our services accordingly

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Which I re-wrote and sent back to them to confirm my understanding...

It's a matter of affordability. I.e. the narrowband technology that exists today is at a low enough price point that you can offer the service cheap enough that the target customers can afford it. That's the current market. When that market evolves and they want faster speeds, and when the broadband technology becomes affordable enough to offer an affordable service, SAS will upgrade to accommodate.

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On a different topic, I asked them:

With the 25% replacement each year, assuming an initial constellation of ~200 sattelites, how distributed would the launches be? I mean, one a year, two lots of 25, or maybe just whenever a cheap ride to space comes up?

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They said "It will be dedicated launches. Once or twice per year."

SAS Price at posting: 10.5¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
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Ann: SAS to Partner with Developing World Smartphone Leader, page-34

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