Space-based cell towers coming soon to a phone near you

Lynk scores big win in global space race
Mike Dano, Light Reading, 3/18/2020

Startup Lynk said it successfully transmitted a message from a satellite in space to a standard, Android-powered GSM phone on the ground.

The company said the test shows its technology works – an important milestone along the company's path toward commercializing its offering.

Lynk posted a video of the test, conducted February 24 in a remote location in the Falkland Islands where it would not interfere with other operations. It also linked to a longer version of the video that features some salty language from the company's engineers celebrating the successful test.

Lynk CEO Charles Miller told The Verge the company delivered the transmission from equipment it sent to the International Space Station in December aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Astronauts on the ISS attached the transmitter to a Cygnus cargo spacecraft that remains in orbit.

This is a great milestone. With luck, the tech will scale and become affordable. Once fully deployed, this tech should provide cellular coverage anywhere in the world, connecting to a satellite whenever there is no compatible land-based tower in range.

I would assume that satellite links will have lower bandwidth and higher latency than terrestrial towers, but if it's good enough for voice calls and text messages, then it will allow access to emergency services no matter where in the world you are.

Interpreting Verizon's contract buzzwords

I recently upgraded my phone to a new iPhone 6+. It's great, but that's not the point of this article. In reading through the contract information, both before and after signing, I became aware of the fact that my contract has a lot of buzzwords that are not clearly defined.

In Googling for the definitions, I found that it is very hard to find definitions for most of these. As a service to my readers, here are all the line items from my contract, and the best explanation I've found so far for them. Some come from Verizon or from user-forum discussions I ran across. Some are based on my own intuition and understanding of wireless technology.

Corrections are welcome and will help to make the list more complete. I don't promise that it's all correct, but I hope people with specific knowledge will be able to help me improve it and make it correct.

Updated on June 4, 2015, based on reader comments. Thanks much!

Updated on April 1, 2019, based on the receipt we got when we upgraded one of our phones last July.

The FCC's (lack of) a new rule and government overreach

In the news today, the FCC chairman nixed plans to allow in-flight cell phone usage. That's not worth commenting on. But his reasoning is. He wrote:

I stand with airline pilots, flight attendants, and America's flying public against the FCC's ill-conceived 2013 plan to allow people to make cellphone calls on planes. I do not believe that moving forward with this plan is in the public interest. Taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet.

Please note his rationale. This has nothing to do with airline safety. Nothing to do with overburdening the cell phone infrastructure. Not even to do with airlines keeping their monopoly on in-flight communication. It's because he doesn't want someone next to himself talking on the phone.

What a complete BS answer. I guess he's unaware that people have been yapping on (expensive) AirPhones for over a decade and that anybody today can have data access to the Internet if they want to pay the airline for on-board Wi-Fi. And I guess he's never sat next to a couple having a loud conversation or a crying baby. Or for that matter, the plane's own engines. There is no such thing as a "moment of quiet at 30,000 feet" and never has been.

But that's not even my point. My point is that this is none of the government's business. The FAA is responsible for making sure that our planes safely get where they're going. The FCC is responsible for making sure our communication system works properly. It is not the responsibility of either (nor anybody else) to decide whether or not someone is allowed to talk while in the air.

Only the airlines should be making rules like this. Let them, and let the market decide what policies should be. If United wants to allow cell phones and American wants to prohibit them, both should be allowed to make their respective decisions. If I want to use my phone in the air, then I'll book my ticket on an airline that allows it. And if I don't want to be on a plane with phone usage, then I'll book my ticket on the airline that prohibits it. But under no circumstance do I want a bunch of government bureaucrats to be making that decision if it doesn't affect the safety of air travel or the stability of the mobile phone network.

Now THAT's a durable screen!

Knock nail into wood! OUKITEL K4000 had a screen test that it won’t beak if hit by an iron hammer, but will the screen break if it is used as a hammer to knock other things?
Details in Official website: http://www.oukitel.cc/products/universe/201509/92.html
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/oukitelmobile

That's got to be the most cringe-worthy cell phone torture test I've ever seen. I wonder what they are doing to provide the promised 9H hardness and 800MPa stress value. Is it a sapphire crystal display? That's the only thing I can think of that might work.

I hope Apple sees this and manages to license the tech. I want my iPhone screen to be this strong.

AppleInsider: AT&T, Verizon to bump monthly mobile data allotments in ongoing price battle

AT&T, Verizon to bump monthly mobile data allotments in ongoing price battle

America's top two wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon on Friday announced value added changes to their respective mobile data plans, though Verizon is only offering extra data as a limited time promotion.

Here's Verizon's page describing their pricing. Until the promo expires (no date is mentioned at this time), the $80 data plan is increasing from 6GB to 10GB and the $100 data plan is increasing from 10GB to 15GB. This is not just for new customers - current "MORE Everything" customers can also take advantage by simply changing their data plan.

I just did it for my account. I was paying $90/mo for 8GB. With this new pricing, I switched our contract to $80 for 10GB. It isn't every day that you get to pay less and get more data. $80/mo (plus the $120/mo line-access charges) is still a lot to pay, but it's better than paying $10 more for less data. Here's to hoping that the rivalry between Verizon and AT&T continues to drive prices lower.

RootMetrics: Cell phone coverage survey

RootMetrics has completed their survey of cell phone coverage by network. They have created an interactive map that you can use to zoom/scroll around the country and see various coverage statistics (call performance, fastest speed, best technology) for all the major carriers at a fairly detailed resolution.

The results are not too surprising. Verizon has the best coverage, with AT&T not far behind. T-Mobile and Sprint cover most of the populated areas, but with what could be annoying gaps if you travel the countryside. For example, Oswego New York is has coverage by all four networks, but the surrounding towns (Wolcott, Fulton, etc.) have no T-Mobile or Sprint coverage, and some of the towns (like Sterling, where the Renaissance Festival is held) are only covered by Verizon.