Lifeboat Foundation

Quantum computers, which harness the strange probabilities of quantum mechanics, may prove revolutionary. They have the potential to achieve an exponential speedup over their classical counterparts, at least when it comes to solving some problems. But for now, these computers are still in their infancy, useful for only a few applications, just as the first digital computers were in the 1940s. So isn’t a book about the communications network that will link quantum computers — the quantum internet — more than a little ahead of itself?

Surprisingly, no. As theoretical physicist Jonathan Dowling makes clear in Schrödinger’s Web, early versions of the quantum internet are here already — for example, quantum communication has been taking place between Beijing and Shanghai via fiber-optic cables since 2016 — and more are coming fast. So now is the perfect time to read up.

Dowling, who helped found the U.S. government’s quantum computing program in the 1990s, is the perfect guide. Armed with a seemingly endless supply of outrageous anecdotes, memorable analogies, puns and quips, he makes the thorny theoretical details of the quantum internet both entertaining and accessible.

Continue reading “‘Schrödinger’s Web’ offers a sneak peek at the quantum internet” »

New research shows Elon Musk’s broadband network could be tweaked to work as an alternative to GPS.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Monday reiterated the likelihood that his private space company will likely take its Starlink satellite internet service public in the coming years.

“We will probably IPO Starlink, but only several years in the future when revenue growth is smooth & predictable,” Musk said in a tweet. “Public market does not like erratic cash flow haha.”

SpaceX leadership has previously discussed the idea, with company President Gwynne Shotwell in February telling a group of investors in February that “Starlink is the right kind of business that we can go ahead and take public,” adding that the company could spin it off.

Berlin, 27 September 2020. – A New York bankruptcy judge has sent OneWeb’s Chapter 11 plan for creditor vote and approved OneWeb’s financing plan, Law360 reported.

“A New York bankruptcy judge on Wednesday sent OneWeb Global’s $181 million equity-swap Chapter 11 plan to a creditor vote while approving $235 million in new financing that the satellite internet startup said will go toward restarting its launch program,” Law 360 reported.

According to the report, OneWeb’s counsel told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain that it had secured full creditor consent for the plan.

Venezuela has poor internet infrastructure. Using Blockstream’s satellite technology to broadcast Bitcoin transactions could get around that.

The United States Air Force signed a deal with SpaceX valued at around $28 million in 2018, to assess the Starlink network’s performance on military platforms. The Air Force is actively experimenting with how space-based internet could enhance Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). These operations require moving vast quantities of data between the five domains of warfare: ground, sea, sky, outer space, and cyberspace. The military needs a reliable communication system at all times to protect and defend the country from potential threats. The assessment of Starlink will offer the military insight on whether it should purchase Starlink service long-term.

U.S. Air Force Chief for Acquisition Dr. Will Roper, who serves as the principal adviser for technology research and development, met with reporters to discuss a live-fire military exercise that took place early this month, Investors news reports. During the conference, Roper shared SpaceX’s Starlink network was tested during the live-fire exercise as part of the military’s Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). – “What I’ve seen from Starlink has been impressive and positive,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “They’re cleverly engineered satellites cleverly deployed. So, there’s a lot to learn from how they’re designed and I think that there’s a lot we can learn from them.”

Roper shared that the Air Force connected Starlink to a “variety of air and terrestrial assets”. Starlink terminals are hooked to the cockpit of a Boeing (BA) KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft to assess the network’s performance while the airplanes fly.

Part of my series countering common misconceptions in space journalism.

This blog is a follow on to my original post on Starlink. Starlink is an emerging high performance satellite-based internet routing network developed by SpaceX. Its ultimate purpose is to become the de-facto internet backbone provider, connect billions more people to the internet, and revolutionize access to space.

Continue reading “Starlink packet routing” »

A research and development lab of the Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies in the southern city of Dongguan caught fire, producing large clouds of thick grey smoke. Locals caught the incident on camera.

The videos show plumes of smoke coming from the building’s top floors, and largely obscuring the sky above the facility. According to the local fire department, the flammable sound-absorbing cotton which the facility was using may be the main source of the blaze.

🚨 #BREAKING – A #Huawei research laboratory burns in 🔥 #Dongguanpic.twitter.com/BGqR7Hmz0J — ISCResearch (@ISCResearch) September 25, 2020

From the beginning, SpaceX has had a goal of bringing high speed internet service to underserved locations, creating competition in areas that currently have limited options or, in many cases, monopolies causing higher prices.

With its constellation of low orbit satellites, Starlink will be able to shake up the broadband industry by offering a new category of broadband. Without the need to place expensive infrastructure like underground or pole-based wiring required for current broadband options, SpaceX could more easily reach rural areas and begin to close the digital divide.

A study from Broadband Now shows that, in addition to working toward closing that gap, introducing a new internet provider could reduce the price of internet service by up to 40%. The chart below shows how adding additional providers in an area significantly reduces the average monthly cost of internet service.