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El-cheapo LEO satellite constellation like Starlink has some interesting features though, like being deterministic like clockwork. One can build a pre-emptive L2 SDN instead of OLSR-que dynamic routing or switching.

Why? Mostly to analyze and control users' traffic, much like what was the pre-Internet telco strategy. It may provide short term gains, but ultimately interoperability and standard protocols will prevail what comes to innovation.

SpaceX does not participate in Internet Engineering Task Force or IEEE, which have largely laid the interoperable foundations for today's Internet. Why? Because they prefer monopoly and extreme data analytics is easier with black box protocols.

Their approach reminds me of early 3G, where operators insisted on backhauling all traffic to aggregation points (for billing every last bit). Protocols like ATM were deployed (also to xDSL) to combat the evil Internet, and service innovation was pushed back up to a decade. Just to maintain control.