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Communications The Internet

Elon Musk Offering Satellite Internet To Tsunami-Hit Tonga (bloomberg.com) 114

Posted by msmash from the good-guy dept.
SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is offering to send Starlink internet terminals to Tonga after an underwater volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami cut off communication links. From a report: Musk was responding on Twitter to a Reuters report that full network services won't be restored to Tonga for at least a month after an undersea cable was disabled by the twin disasters. The SpaceX CEO said was he seeking "clear confirmation" from Tonga if it needs the terminals because sending them would be a "hard thing" now as there weren't enough satellites with laser links. There are also already satellites serving the region, he added.
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Elon Musk Offering Satellite Internet To Tsunami-Hit Tonga More

Elon Musk Offering Satellite Internet To Tsunami-Hit Tonga

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  • So they can (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    get "Thoughts and Prayers" on their social media.

  • They've just had ash rained on their nation, they need all types of aid.

    • Re:Communications useful, but not top of the list (Score:5, Insightful)

      by necro81 ( 917438 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @10:06AM (#62194637) Journal

      They've just had ash rained on their nation, they need all types of aid.

      I agree they need all types of aid. Communications to the outside world are essential for coordinating all the other aid they need.

      There was practically nothing heard from the nation in the first few days after the eruption - even from the government - until a handful of satellite phones could be brought to bear.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Satellite phones would be much more useful. They can run on battery power and be recharged from solar.

        Starlink terminals consume vastly more power, about 125W average when operating. The need for a power source capable of supplying that makes them much less portable than sat phones.

        • I agree that satellite phones would be ideal here. Unfortunately, no company is stepping up to offer them. I think that's really the point.

        • 125W is not difficult to come by in the South Pacific with a moderately sized solar panel and a couple LiFePo4 batteries (or even deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, which may be easier to come by on the island).

          Since the person offering sat terminals also runs a solar business, I would think he could figure out the power part of things pretty easily and send a neat little package.

          Less portable than a sat phone, sure, but logistics for relief coordination (or even temporary uplinks for their ISP(s)/cell provide

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mspohr ( 589790 )

          It must be impossible to find 100 W solar panels or maybe a car battery.

        • Now only if Elon Musk had access to providing solar power [tesla.com] and batteries [tesla.com], as well as a history of helping out [electrek.co] with these things when natural disasters strike islands...

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            Okay, but now we are talking about a much bigger operation than sending a few terminals that a home user can set up themselves.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by necro81 ( 917438 )

          Satellite phones would be much more useful.

          Sat phones certainly have their uses due to their portability. But sat phones can't provide 10 Mbps of sharable bandwidth; Starlink can. That allows lots of people to communicate simultaneously, and share more and much richer kinds of data like photos, maps, websites.

        • And a Sat phone costs ++1000$
          So what is the point if no one with a normal cellular phone can use the network? Or do you want to drop 40,000 sat phones?

      • They've just had ash rained on their nation, they need all types of aid.

        I agree they need all types of aid. Communications to the outside world are essential for coordinating all the other aid they need. There was practically nothing heard from the nation in the first few days after the eruption - even from the government - until a handful of satellite phones could be brought to bear.

        It's worth noting that if Starlink was already fully functional Tonga would already have a large number of Starlink receivers around, and the Starlink satellites would have plenty of laser links and not been as dependent on local groundlink availability. I look forward to a day where that's true and catastrophes like this don't have to be handled in a communications near-blackout. Truly ubiquitous Internet service will be an enormous boon to humanity and to its ability to respond to crises. Assuming it eve

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by wallsg ( 58203 )

        I don't know about there, but here in the US and in many other more-populated regions this is where HAM radio operators shine.

    • Re:Communications useful, but not top of the list (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jfdavis668 ( 1414919 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @10:18AM (#62194675)
      Having worked disasters, I can tell you communications is right on top of the list. Tonga is not just one island. It is a group, and only one has a large airport. Communications between them is critical to know what is needed and possible ways to get it there. Is there any kind of power? Did docks survive? Are there clear areas for airdrops? Do you need water, or just containers? What medical emergencies are there? Is anyone available to treat them? Just throwing supplies at someone just tends to make a mess until it gets organized.

      • All of these questions and more have been answered now, and aid is happening as a result. However, they will need more aid. Communications was most needed earlier, but now they are able to communicate with the world, and what's missing most is arguably a reliable power grid.

      • Having worked disasters, I can tell you communications is right on top of the list.

        You're absolutely right, but the correct answer there is not satellite internet and apps but rather *radio* communications.

        • but the correct answer there is not satellite internet and apps but rather *radio* communications.

          Internet plays a valuable role in getting images and video out of the disaster, which in turn rallies people to action.

          • You don't need on location internet access to get pictures out from an area. We had photos of the devastation before they even had power on let alone a disaster recovery communications network or an Elon Musk offering his satellite for marketing purposes (and it is marketing purposes since satellite internet coverage was available in Tonga long before Musk came along to save the world).

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by PPH ( 736903 )

          *radio* communications

          I'm sure AT&T could be persuaded to offer a 5% discount for an agreement to scrap all of Tonga's public service communications infrastructure and switch to their 5G product.

        • now only if there was some way to transmit audio over a TCP/IP connection...

          • Indeed. If only there was a way of taking a simple point to point or multicast open system used primarily for emergency response and disaster management the world over and shoe horn it into a complex global network requiring significantly more power, services, with equal investment in each endpoint, doesn't support broadcasting, and all relies on some centralised app.

            I don't know why you replied to me on Slashdot. You should have instead had your post scrawled on a tablet and DHL'd over to me since you seem

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by 4im ( 181450 )

        That's also why the following exists: https://www.emergency.lu/ [emergency.lu]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cfalcon ( 779563 )

      > They've just had ash rained on their nation, they need all types of aid.

      Ok, well Elon had Starlink to help them out with communications, so you go and handle their power grid or whatever

    • hm, points for doing something :)
  • The guy literally is the richest man and ask he can think of is free Internet. . .

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Puls4r ( 724907 )
      You know, there's a lot of truth to this. The guy could buy up every generator in the US and by tomorrow have them and fuel on their way to Tonga. Instead, he uses the situation to get some positive press for Starlink. He could commandeer a couple power wall setups and solar, and have that their too and set up inside a week to provide a stable power source for some type of centralized communication. But he isn't. Much like the vaporware cybertruck, Elon is just being an attention whore. Why did he hav

  • They should be careful not to refuse his offer (Score:5, Funny)

    by JoeyRox ( 2711699 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @10:07AM (#62194641)
    Otherwise he might call them pedophiles. [theguardian.com]

    • Backstory (Score:4, Informative)

      by Okian Warrior ( 537106 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @10:37AM (#62194727) Homepage Journal

      Otherwise he might call them pedophiles. [theguardian.com]

      As a response to someone insulting an engineering solution that he was asked to come up with. To be fair, his solution wasn't very good, but note that he was *asked* to brainstorm a solution.

      Also, "pedo guy" isn't calling someone a pedophile, it's a slang term for "old creepy person". This point was explicitly hashed out in court, and judged to be the slang term.

      Really, the fake news is quick to take the most damaging part of the interaction out of context, but note that the "pedo" comment was only a little stronger than the insult that prompted it.

      As with everything, the news media wants to amplify the outrage, but there's considerable backstory that puts the issue in better perspective.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Another way it mirrors his daft submarine idea is that Tonga is lacking internet connectivity not just because of the cable, but because of a lack of electricity. Those terminals need about 125W continuously to operate. With grids down and power precious, running one could well be a luxury that many living there cannot afford.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

        While his current idea was daft, the submarine idea was definitely not. Those kids should count their lucky stars to be alive scuba diving out in a path treacherous enough that it cost an experienced scuba diver their life. My (and many other's) immediate reaction on hearing they were going to not try and ferry them out in a tube but rather actually make them dive out was that all of those kids will die.

        Cave diving is insanely dangerous to even experienced divers. Musk's idea was safer and about the only sa

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          The submarine would never have worked. It wouldn't have been able to pass through those tunnels.

          • An assertion based on wild speculation? Or can you point to actual dimensional drawings? Or a trial how which failed? Or maybe you're just quoting one side of the two children who were having a twitter argument?

      • You are jumping to conclusions. In particular, Tesla has provided large batteries ("megapacks" I think is what they are called) to disaster areas in the past. As such, it is likely Tesla is sending some of those large batteries to Tonga. In the twitter thread he was specifically asked to send Starlink terminals, so it is unsurprising that his response sought to clarify that specific request.

      • And Tesla doesn't know anything about providing power after natural disasters ?

      • Those terminals need about 125W continuously to operate. With grids down and power precious, running one could well be a luxury that many living there cannot afford.

        Right. Maybe Musk could try to find some company that makes solar panels and batteries and get them to send some stuff, too. I mean, he's got to have a lot of connections.

        • Maybe Musk could try to find some company that makes solar panels and batteries and get them to send some stuff, too.

          Except for the fact that Tesla doesn’t make batteries or solar panels. Panasonic makes batteries. They buy solar panels from china.

          • Except for the fact that Tesla doesn’t make batteries or solar panels. Panasonic makes batteries. They buy solar panels from china.

            Tesla makes batteries in Reno, Nevada. [wikipedia.org] Tesla owns 51% of that factory. As the majority owner, Tesla makes batteries. Panasonic is a junior partner. The Berlin and Texas plants, wholly built and owned by Tesla, will begin battery production this year.
            Tesla makes solar panels in Buffalo, New York. [twitter.com] They do buy some solar roof tiles from China. They also make them.

            You are being disingenuous at best, trolling at worst.

            • Panasonic makes batteries in Reno. There tax payer funded Buffalo factor doesn’t make anything.
          • If you are going to make a criticism, then please be careful to use the correct terminology. You can use Google to verify that a "cell" is a single unit that provides electricity, while a "battery" is a collection of cells to provide a more substantial amount of electricity. Tesla makes cells via a joint partnership with Panasonic, but I believe the batteries are made exclusively by Tesla.
            • In addition, the comment you disagreed with didn't actually claim Tesla made batteries or solar panels, but merely that Musk could find "some company that makes" them. Whether the "some company" is Tesla or a supplier to Tesla is irrelevant since Musk can contact that "some company". The claim from Areyoukiddingme that "You are being disingenuous at best, trolling at worst" seems accurate.
    • I have read that there's currently an influential Chinese presence on Tonga, and China hates Starlink. Hopefully, if they refuse his kind offer, he'll give some consideration to why they might do that. If he makes it clear that his help is a gift rather than a loan, that might well foster acceptance. I have a feeling that help from China would probably be of the "Of course we'll help you - and add it to your tab," variety.
    • Oh shit. You have now summoned the weird nerds who will defend this and any/every thing he ever does. You might as well have activated the bat signal.

  • Don't make a big fuss about it like the last time you tried being helpful. Aid groups and support staff are going to need to be connected to the rest of the world to once they get there (I'm assuming they already are, but don't have many updates). Either step up and be helpful with the relief effort or get out of the way and stroke your ego elsewhere.

    • Countries have laws, can't "just do it" but would need approval for equipment and personnel and cooperation of government and various local corporations to implement. The real world is a different place than the rainbow pooping unicorn paradise between your ears.

  • Musk is the most dangerous man on earth (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mmdurrant ( 638055 ) on Friday January 21, 2022 @11:18AM (#62194841)
    ... because he thinks and acts like a fucking 12 year old but has a larger budget than most 1st world countries.
  • The guy offers help from resources he's in a position to rapidly provide and the response here is that the offer is not perfect and does not solve all problems for all conditions.

    The aid coming from elsewhere (Ford, GM, Apple, etc. etc.) is obviously superior. Let's all slap down this obviously horrible offer from a Private Source that has no obligation to do anything.

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