It was about a year ago at the SmartDrivingCar Summit when it hit me that Tesla could be considered a vehicle, energy, insurance, and communications company centered around mobility as a service. Then, at CES 2020, it became apparent that extending low-cost Internet to flying vehicles is going to be a necessity when advanced air mobility takes off. Finally, it was the presentation at WEC2020 by CableLabs’ Shahed Mazumder that inspired the following video and article that reinforces how a telecommunications network could be an important part of Tesla’s future.
A Multi-Dimensional Broadband Network or Is This Just Pie in the Sky?
Could Starlink’s launch later this year signal the creation of a new Internet? That is, could Tesla integrate Starlink satellite terminals into their vehicles, effectively reducing the cost of the equipment, as compared to stand-alone terminals? It is conceivable that the antennas could be integrated into the body of the vehicle (pointed to the heavens, of course). The radio electronics would have to be added to the vehicles, but some of the signal processing might be performed with existing computational power.
LEO Satellite and More Explained by CableLabs
After many variations through the decades, broadband via satellites may leap past the hurdles that have kept it a niche service. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that satellite broadband will be competitive for urban areas, at least initially, but its initial sweet spot is rural areas with up to 75 homes per mile. What makes satellite broadband different from earlier efforts is the mass-production of satellites and the reduced cost of rocket launches that carry those miniature cell towers a couple of hundred miles above the earth.
Advanced Air Mobility in Rural Areas & Beyond
Electric, automated aviation has the potential to transform the world with new forms of low-cost, environmentally-friendlier, and more efficient transportation both for people and goods. In many ways, it is like the dawning of broadband, some 20 plus years ago, when there were hundreds of start-ups inventing technologies and creating ecosystems to usher in a new era. CAMI’s Anna Dietrich, Swanson Aviation’s Darrell Swanson, and ACA Connects’ Matt Polka joined Viodi in a discussion about the potential opportunities that new low-cost and clean air travel could provide to rural America.
The Future of the Public Roadways in Tweets
Does public transit have a future and, if so, what is in the post-COVID-19 world? Those were a couple of the questions debated at the 2nd Zoom-Tank zoominar on May 18th, 2020. Like episode one, the questions and side dialogue both within the Zoom channel and the YouTube live stream provided interesting insight and questions to complement the vigorous discussion.
ViodiTV Real-Time Conversation with Thomas Crowell, Friday, May 22nd, 2020
OpenVault: Broadband usage +47% in Q1 2020; Power users are the new normal by Alan Weissberger
Broadband analytics and solutions firm OpenVault reports that total broadband usage increased 47% in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, to roughly 402.5 gigabytes per user, versus the year-ago period. As expected this increased use of broadband was largely due to the millions of people subject to “shelter in place” and the resultant data traffic spikes from video/audio streaming and video conferencing.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- Evidence that there could be a reverse migration of people from urban to lower density areas is given by a recent Redfin survey, where they found that 60% of NYC metro and 50% of Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco survey respondents, respectively, would move to another area if they could work from home. Redfin data suggest that 12% to 36%, of their users, who live in those cities, were searching for homes in other burgs.
- “Ask the Experts: Can Air Sensors One Day Detect COVID-19”, asks @ThomasCoughlin? Having the sensors built into #smartphones could be very useful, given the proximity to the person. @AerNosInc talked about such an approach at #CES2019
- “Electric car transit system could be in the works for East Bay System.” Glydways is planning presented their autonomous small vehicle guideway solution at the 2019 PodcarCity event, as seen in this video https://youtu.be/qwlitABxwPI
- In the meantime, The Boring Company has completed the boring part of the two 4,500-foot tunnels that will serve as a guideway for Tesla electric pods connecting the various Las Vegas Convention Center halls.
The Korner – Resilient Broadband & More in Challenging Times
When you are 33 feet above sea-level and considered to be the Mount Everest of South Florida, you need a network that can withstand hurricanes and floods. To accommodate this environment, Jeff Leslie and his team built an all-fiber, underground network to keep Treasure Coast businesses connected during natural disasters. As it turns out, ITS Fiber’s network helps businesses, schools, and government stay on track during a pandemic as well.
It was great to catch up with Jeff Leslie, ITS Fiber President & CEO, and Denise Lechner, ITS Fiber Marketing Manager, last Friday. They describe their efforts to ensure all kids in their service territory have access to the Internet. They also talk about the transformative impact that their video conferencing solution has on how they do business and how it is helping their customers as well. Finally, there is a brief comparison between their broadband and the water/sewage pipes.
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