If a LEO constellation of satellites could be build and deployed that interacted with ordinary GSM handsets, that would open up an entire new market not only for isolated locations, but as gap fillers and even as in-flight entertainment service.
“If a LEO constellation of satellites could be build and deployed that interacted with ordinary GSM handsets,”
Just don’t expect GSM latency or throughput.
There are already a lot of broadband satellites in orbit and sat air-time is expensive and limited. And in flight entertainment is already using them. That and also ships are sea are just about the only users.
Musk thinks he will get a bunch of third world types on facebook and send them enough adds to pay for an 800 satellite constellation.