On 6/1/21 15:49, Don Fanning wrote:

One thing to consider in regards to "developing" places - most people in Africa and India get their internet from SmartPhones/Mobile devices. Reason being: power, mobility, and that in many places, the phone company in many locations acts as a "western union" for their areas... including bill pay/wire transfer and digital wallet. This is due to everyone has phone bills/minutes/data to purchase - as well as mobile purchasing with barcodes/SMS, etc...

The main reason mobile phones took off in Africa is because while almost all countries on the continent had some kind of national telephone network and infrastructure for at least 2.5 decades after independence, it suffered neglect. It wasn't until around 1998 - 2003 that mobile operators sprang up all over the continent, and immediately made landlines obsolete.

Had public PTT's been serious and kept looking to grow and serve, post-independence, they may not have survived the "scourge" of the mobile network, but they would have been in a great position to deliver wire-based Internet access, be it copper or fibre, later in their lives.

That innovative services such as phone banking have emerged simply goes to show that the mobile phone (and the network it rides on) is a pathway to solving problems in a local community in a way that matters to them. No point in crying about not being able to open a bank account simply because you don't have a national ID or a street address, when someone who cares can build a simple version of the need for use on even the cheapest of un-smartphones.

They don't really "Netflix and chill" but when they do, you're likely to see multiple screens occurring and they'll still be on mobile or wifi.

Most users in Africa that can afford Netflix will usually have some kind of wired service, or failing that, will use a MiFi router that translates 4G to wi-fi. The mobile companies have data plans for all major content services, so that helps deal with affordability there.

So 4G/5G will be of greater benefit to crowded neighborhoods which there are a lot of them there.

For me, I still don't see 5G being a model for the mobile operators; too much cost in a space where 4G isn't struggling.

Moreover, 5G makes sense in dense cities where fibre is already available. Given the chance, the kids will choose wi-fi over *G, even if you offer them unlimited mobile data.

Backhaul could easily occur over the LEO satellite constellation since it will be a long time before you'll see Africa and most of Asia needing constant signal coverage.

Africa's days of satellite to build backbones are long behind it. Fibre may not be able to reach all the people, but it will reach the data centres, and the mobile towers.

It's a mistake to think that everyone uses the internet the same way as people thinking that we all use our cell phones the same way.

+1.

Mark.