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Will ESN even be necessary in the end?

jon1

ULTIMATE Member
I was reading https://www.clarus-networks.com/2024/04/11/case-study-west-midlands-ambulance-service/ which seems to show Starlink-connected ambulances, that can use LTE/NR when in a city centre/where it is strong (which is already available today), and fallback to Starlink when out of good coverage (e.g rural)

To me it would seem like the ESN is already "good enough" and this can be implemented elsewhere, probably much more reliable, and cheaper on a wholesale contract?
 
Echoing drevilbob. I think the big problem is that Starlink is not a UK company and, while good for filling the gaps, we probably don't want to be depending on them for the emergency services. Not to mention long-term questions over the sustainability of Starlink's business model and running costs of the service, as well as its susceptibility to attack in the event of a major war.

On the other hand, Starlink's Direct to Cell solution could solve the issue of service cost, and I'd hope the outbreak of a major war, in which satellites become a target, is not something that will happen. So I think it's a useful solution to have as a fallback, but the focus should still be on delivering the best terrestrial wireless fix we can do.
 
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among other reasons - starlink doesn't work indoors so you'd still need some sort of terrestrial radio network.

I personally think something so critical should be state owned and run (as it was before Airwave) but the second best option is to choose a company that operates in the UK and is beholden to UK regulations. Starlink could turn its UK service off tomorrow if it felt like it, whereas the four MNOs obviously would not.

Therefore, if LEO satellite was to become part of the service mix, why wouldn't we use OneWeb in which we have some ownership and control?

The other bonus to ESN is that the coverage built out for it will be usable by standard EE customers, and the physical infrastructure is available to the other MNOs too.
 
I don't think a nation state the size of the UK could afford to launch and maintain a large constellation of satellites without providing a global (or continental) service to generate revenues and cover costs.

Even if the UK were to limit its satellites to covering the UK for communications, it's probably quite a bit outside the competence of the current government and civil service, would distract from the core responsibilities the UK already has to deliver services to its citizens, and could well be the kind of over-reach that could cause problems in government.
 
The "ambulance" you refer to in the article is actually an incident command vehicle. There is a need for more/multiple communication methods on these, so they will have 4G/5G and many have started using Starlink for those remote locations due to the cost of it compared to previous expensive options. A number of fire services have adopted the same to boost the connectivity when 5G doesnt work.

Also a number of drone units used by fire and police have started using Starlink, especially the new mini version to enable them to stream images back to control rooms when 4G/5G isn't available or poor.
 
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