t-mobile

Starlink 想要在太空直接提供 5G 網路訊號讓地面手機使用

在 Hacker News 上看到 Starlink 打算跟 T-Mobile 合作，直接用衛星提供 5G 訊號讓地面手機使用：「SpaceX, T-Mobile to connect satellites to cellphones in remote areas (wsj.com)」，原報導在 WSJ 的「SpaceX, T-Mobile to Connect Satellites to Cellphones in Remote Areas」這邊，另外因為 paywall 的關係，可以在這邊讀。

會用二代衛星：

Mr. Musk said the service would use second-generation Starlink satellites that would be outfitted with large antennas that cover swaths of land that have no service. SpaceX has a pending application before the FCC to launch around 30,000 of the second-generation satellites over time.

在另外一篇報導「SpaceX and T-Mobile team up to use Starlink satellites to ‘end mobile dead zones’」裡面有提到更細一點，不是衛星電話，是目前一般的手機：

The service won’t require mobile users to get a new phone. Musk said in or after a natural disaster, even if all the cell towers are taken out, the planned service should work.

不過可以預期只會有很基本的服務 (大概確保通話與簡訊會通)，針對緊急危難狀況會特別有幫助：

Mr. Musk said that the bandwidth would be limited and that the new satellite service wouldn’t supplant existing ground-based cellular services. “This is meant to provide basic coverage to areas that are completely dead,” he said.

翻了翻 wiki，目前 Starlink 第一代衛星的軌道高度是 340km 左右，好像還不確定二代衛星會在哪個高度...

Hacker News 上有蠻多人在算技術上的可行性，除了訊號強度外，衛星與地面相對速度比目前地面上的交通工具都快，都卜勒效應 (Doppler effect) 看起來也是個會影響很多的主題...

不過討論裡面有提到 2021 年就已經有其他商用公司在幹類似的事情，所以看起來不只是講講而已？應該是有些可能性：「Lynk demos global satellite connection for ordinary phones and prepares for commercial launch」。

T-Mobile US 打算要賣使用者的瀏覽記錄了

全美第二大的 T-Mobile US 打算要賣使用者的瀏覽記錄了，除非你登入進去選擇退出：「T-Mobile to Step Up Ad Targeting of Cellphone Customers」，Hacker News 上的討論則可以看「T-Mobile to share customers' data with advertisers unless they opt out (thehill.com)」這邊。

The No. 2 U.S. carrier by subscribers said in a recent privacy-policy update that unless they opt out it will share customers’ web and mobile-app data with advertisers starting April 26.

這次的改變包括了 2020 年併購 Sprint 的使用者：

T-Mobile’s new policy will also cover Sprint customers acquired through the carriers’ 2020 merger. Sprint had previously shared similar data only from customers who opted into its third-party ad program.

所以連在美國都有 DNS over HTTPS (或是 DNS over TLS) 與 ESNI 需求了...

在 Boeing 787 上上網...

酷航有些飛機是 787 了，這台飛機有提供 Internet 上網功能 (WiFi HotSpot)，一個小時是 USD$11.95，三個小時是 USD$16.95，二十四小時是 USD$24.95。

扣掉起降的時間，成田飛桃園差不多可以買三個小時的方案來用，服務是由 T-Mobile 提供：

看起來應該是走衛星線路，從德國落地後再連出來，快的時候可以到 1Mbps，慢的時候大約在 128Kbps，latency 大約是 1000ms，而 packet loss rate 其實不高，線路還蠻穩定的。

這次來回都有買，算是嘗鮮玩玩看，之後應該還是會在飛機上睡覺吧 XDDD

T-Mobile 提供國際漫遊單一費率...

T-Mobile 將要推出國際漫遊單一費率的資費方案：「T-Mobile to offer free unlimited international data, texts」。

引用裡面的文字：

T-Mobile's latest shake-up puts international roaming rates in its sights, with the carrier eliminating fees for data and text messages entirely in more than 100 countries. It will also simplify the calling rates, charging a fixed rate of 20 cents per minute.

語音的部份，每分鐘新台幣 6 元？

不過 unlimited international data 是有速度限制的：

Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said the average speed customers would get would be around 128 kilobits a second.

如果要速度，多付錢可以解決問題：

T-Mobile hopes to make some of its money back with "speed packs" that customers can purchase on the fly to boost their connection speed temporarily. For $15, a customer gets a single day's worth of high-speed data up to 100 megabytes, while $20 gets one week at 200 megabytes and $50 gets two weeks and 500 megabytes. The speeds are more accustomed to T-Mobile's HSPA+ networks, since international roaming with LTE isn't broadly available.

在官方網站的「Simple Choice International Plans | Unlimited Data & Text | T-Mobile」上面寫的更清楚：

Only T-Mobile’s network can give you unlimited everything for everyone. Other carriers may even make you share minutes, messages, and data between you and your family. With the Simple Choice Plan, each line comes with unlimited talk, text, and data while on our home network—and starting October 20, unlimited data and text in over 100 countries at no extra charge. That means no overages just about anywhere you go. Plus, there's no annual service contract and it's easy to add additional lines.

現有用戶在漫遊時直接受益...

不知道外國人辦這個划不划算，尤其是常常跑去國外的...