Good network soon in Germany? First “mobile phone mast in space”

In a few years we could get our online data straight from space to our cell phones.

Hopefully we are not claiming too much when we say that the network expansion in Germany still leaves a lot to be desired. Fortunately, there are international projects that could soon bring fast internet to us Germans, too, where we normally have no connection.

Barcelona-based Spanish startup Sateloit took the first step by launching a SpaceX rocket late Friday to help people in remote mountainous and rural areas, as well as other parts of the world where traditional cellular networks aren’t enough to send text messages to recieve.

Funkmasten im All

The mini satellite from the Spanish startup Sateloit. (Image: Sateloit)

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It is said to be the first link in a satellite network that will at least enable text communication anywhere in the world.

To do this, the “mobile phone mast in space” was shot about 500 kilometers above our heads into a low earth orbit. Four more are to follow this year. If all goes according to plan, there will reportedly be 64 satellites next year and 256 the year after.

Each of these satellites is intended to cover an area five to six times the size of Germany.

While conventional satellites are about the size of trucks or buses, these are only 10 x 20 x 30 centimeters.

Sateloit is part of a growing number of companies using satellites to realize the promise of ubiquitous connectivity.

It’s likely that stranded drivers and lost hikers won’t be so isolated anytime soon, as companies like Apple, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Qualcomm move in that direction as well.

This is how you use the connection in space

If everything works the way it’s supposed to, you won’t even notice it when you’re connected to a satellite. Your phone should connect automatically if your provider has a partnership with Sateloit – or with one of the other companies that have probably launched similar projects by then.

Are you looking forward to the seamless network from space? What do you think about the fact that only text communication should be possible for the time being? How much would you pay for a contract with guaranteed internet access? Will this system ensure that the Internet becomes more expensive or cheaper? Let us know what you think about it in the comments!