LEO satellite-to-phone will become the new alternative to terrestrial networks within two years.
Predictor: Alex Wissner-Gross · ep#248 "Sam Altman's Attack, Amazon vs. Starlink, and What Opus 4.7 Actually Means | #248" · source
Prediction text
LEO satellite-to-phone will become the new alternative to terrestrial networks within two years. | And this is this becomes the the new alternative to terrestrial networks in two years.
Verbatim quote
And this is this becomes the the new alternative to terrestrial networks in two years.
Predictor: Alex Wissner-Gross
Calibration plot (stated vs observed)
Evidence about this node from Alex Wissner-Gross is multiplied by κ in /api/intake. Lower κ = less weight; floors at 0.10 (effectively silenced) and caps at 1.00 (full weight).
Reference class
This node isn't linked to a reference class. The Bayesian update applies without outside-view blending.
Probability over time
Milestone chain
- 2026-09-30pendingStarlink Direct-to-Cell adds video/data tier beyond SMS+voiceHow: T-Mobile/SpaceX or US Mobile press release announces video data plan over D2C with V2 satellite gen; carrier app shows non-SMS data quotaSource: Satelliteinternet.com + US Mobile coverageconf 75%
- 2026-12-31pendingAST SpaceMobile reaches initial nationwide US D2D coverageHow: AST press release confirms commercial nationwide-intermittent service via FirstNet/AT&T/Verizon partnership for SMS/voice; ~45-60 BlueBird sats on orbit per FCC filingsSource: Light Reading + IEEE ComSoc + SpaceNews coverageconf 65%
- 2027-03-31pendingAmazon-Globalstar D2C service announced with launch ETAHow: Amazon Project Kuiper or AWS press release announces D2C service via Globalstar spectrum with concrete launch date for North AmericaSource: Reported $11.6B Globalstar acquisition April 2026conf 55%
- 2027-06-01 → 2028-06-30pendingFirst flagship phone marketed as 'satellite-native' (not emergency-only)How: iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S, or Pixel launches marketing satellite as primary connectivity option (not emergency fallback) on at least one carrier in OEM's official launch keynoteSource: Industry trajectory; AST/Verizon/AT&T agreementsconf 50%
- 2027-12-31pendingD2D subscriber count crosses 50M globallyHow: Aggregate of T-Mobile/AT&T/Verizon/global carriers reporting D2D-enabled accounts crosses 50M per Ookla or carrier earnings disclosuresSource: Electronics360 50% growth forecast + Ookla emergence reportsconf 55%
What if this resolves?
Click a button to clamp this prediction and run a Gibbs sample. Returns the predictions whose marginals shift most. ~30s per run; ideal for stress-testing "if X resolves, what else moves?"
Evidence chain
Network propagation neighbors
Top incoming (parents)
Edges that influence THIS node's belief
| Kind | Node | Their prob | P(c|s=T) | P(c|s=F) | Δ implied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 234_012 Anthropic revenue will cross OpenAI revenue in middle of 202 — Peter Diamandis | 67.1% | 0.450 | 0.050 | -0.063 |
| prereq | SEM_042 2025 will be the definitive year that agentic systems finall — Kevin Weil | 73.8% | 0.450 | 0.050 | -0.038 |
| prereq | 235_002 Anthropic will exceed OpenAI in revenue this year (2026). — Dave Blundin | 74.6% | 0.450 | 0.050 | -0.034 |
| prereq | SEM_012 Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling — Jensen Huang | 75.0% | 0.450 | 0.050 | -0.032 |
| killer | TK03 AI Regulatory Moratorium (EU/US Capability Freeze) | 10.0% | 0.050 | 0.450 | +0.031 |
Top outgoing (children)
Predictions THIS node influences
| Kind | Node | Their prob | P(c|s=T) | P(c|s=F) | Δ implied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 246_017 Europa Clipper will arrive at Jupiter in 2030, conducting 50 — Peter Diamandis | 37.7% | 0.650 | 0.050 | -0.103 |
| prereq | 247_035 Dario Amodei will solve most/all neurological diseases by en — Dario Amodei | 38.8% | 0.700 | 0.050 | -0.095 |
| prereq | 246_016 Dragonfly nuclear-powered octicopter arrives at Titan in 203 — Peter Diamandis | 35.6% | 0.650 | 0.050 | -0.082 |
| prereq | 235_030 Ray Kurzweil predicts Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) by 203 — Ray Kurzweil | 39.2% | 0.750 | 0.050 | -0.081 |
| prereq | SEM_034 True artificial general intelligence will be achieved betwee — Demis Hassabis | 28.7% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.050 |
Ticker exposure
Beneficiaries (23)
Adverse (6)
Prerequisites (8)
| Type | Pred | Title | Domain | Lag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 235_002 | Anthropic will exceed OpenAI in revenue this year (2026). | AI | — |
| prereq | SEM_008 | Training runs costing $10 billion for a single model will commence sometime in 2025. | AI | — |
| prereq | 234_012 | Anthropic revenue will cross OpenAI revenue in middle of 2026 | Markets/Stocks | — |
| prereq | SEM_012 | Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling human headcount — achieved by deploying AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code) across engineering. | AI/Manufacturing | — |
| prereq | SEM_042 | 2025 will be the definitive year that agentic systems finally hit the mainstream. | AI/Agents | — |
| killer | TK14 | Superbubble Pop (S&P 500 -40%, Moonshot Capital Evaporates) | — | — |
| killer | TK01 | AGI Capability Plateau (2026-27 Training Stall) | — | — |
| killer | TK03 | AI Regulatory Moratorium (EU/US Capability Freeze) | — | — |
Dependents (5)
| Type | Pred | Title | Domain | Lag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 235_030 | Ray Kurzweil predicts Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) by 2033. | Biotech/Longevity | — |
| prereq | 247_035 | Dario Amodei will solve most/all neurological diseases by end of decade | Biotech/Longevity | — |
| prereq | 246_017 | Europa Clipper will arrive at Jupiter in 2030, conducting 50 passes near Europa. | Space | — |
| prereq | 246_016 | Dragonfly nuclear-powered octicopter arrives at Titan in 2034. | Space | — |
| prereq | SEM_034 | True artificial general intelligence will be achieved between 2032 and 2042 — 'first we solve AI, then use AI to solve everything else'. | AI/AGI | — |
Linked documents (1)
| Sim | Source | Title | Market prob | Polarity | Reviewed | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.594 | gdelt | telstra not seeking to lock rivals out of mobile to satellite bands 625428 | — | mentions | pending | 2026-04-30 |
Raw metadata
{
"nia": false,
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVvleNtllPk",
"mode": "FORECAST",
"role": "Host",
"context": "this becomes the the new alternative to terrestrial networks in two years. Verizon versus T-Mobile.",
"to_year": 2028,
"verbatim": "And this is this becomes the the new alternative to terrestrial networks in two years.",
"direction": "HAPPEN",
"from_year": 2028,
"timeframe": "by 2028",
"conv_level": "MEDIUM",
"milestones": [
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling human headcount — achieved by deploying AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code) a",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.5,
"ordinal": -10,
"source_id": "SEM_012",
"expected_date": "2026-04-29",
"observed_date": "2026-04-29"
},
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "Training runs costing $10 billion for a single model will commence sometime in 2025.",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.5,
"ordinal": -9,
"source_id": "SEM_008",
"expected_date": "2026-04-29",
"observed_date": "2026-04-29"
},
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "Anthropic revenue will cross OpenAI revenue in middle of 2026",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.5,
"ordinal": -8,
"source_id": "234_012",
"expected_date": "2026-04-29",
"observed_date": "2026-04-29"
},
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "Anthropic will exceed OpenAI in revenue this year (2026).",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.5,
"ordinal": -7,
"source_id": "235_002",
"expected_date": "2026-04-29",
"observed_date": "2026-04-29"
},
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "2025 will be the definitive year that agentic systems finally hit the mainstream.",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.5,
"ordinal": -6,
"source_id": "SEM_042",
"expected_date": "2026-04-29",
"observed_date": "2026-04-29"
},
{
"kind": "llm_pre_event",
"label": "Starlink Direct-to-Cell adds video/data tier beyond SMS+voice",
"source": "Satelliteinternet.com + US Mobile coverage",
"status": "pending",
"weight": 0.4,
"ordinal": -5,
"source_id": null,
"confidence": 0.75,
"source_url": "https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/starlink-direct-to-cell/",
"expected_date": "2026-09-30",
"research_origin": "deep_research",
"measurement_criterion": "T-Mobile/SpaceX or US Mobile press release announces video data plan over D2C with V2 satellite gen; carrier app shows non-SMS data quota"
},
{
"kind": "llm_pre_event",
"label": "AST SpaceMobile reaches initial nationwide US D2D coverage",
"source": "Light Reading + IEEE ComSoc + SpaceNews coverage",
"status": "pending",
"weight": 0.4,
"ordinal": -4,
"source_id": null,
"confidence": 0.65,
"source_url": "https://techblog.comsoc.org/2025/11/11/ast-spacemobile-to-deliver-u-s-nationwide-leo-satellite-services-in-2026/",
"expected_date": "2026-12-31",
"research_origin": "deep_research",
"measurement_criterion": "AST press release confirms commercial nationwide-intermittent service via FirstNet/AT&T/Verizon partnership for SMS/voice; ~45-60 BlueBird sats on orbit per FCC filings"
},
{
"kind": "llm_pre_event",
"label": "Amazon-Globalstar D2C service announced with launch ETA",
"source": "Reported $11.6B Globalstar acquisition April 2026",
"status": "pending",
"weight": 0.4,
"ordinal": -3,
"source_id": null,
"confidence": 0.55,
"source_url": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ookla-once-science-fiction-satellite-to-mobile-phone-technology-is-quietly-emerging/",
"expected_date": "2027-03-31",
"research_origin": "deep_research",
"measurement_criterion": "Amazon Project Kuiper or AWS press release announces D2C servic
... (truncated)