All good things come from above: Deutsche Telekom plans to expand its network into space. The network already consists of several layers. If one of them fails on the ground, the layer in the sky will soon have to take over. That way, people and machines will always be connected.
Our networks are becoming increasingly fail-safe. In the future, satellites in space and satellite-like antenna systems at an altitude of around 20 kilometers, i.e. in the stratosphere, will play a major role in this. Both will be used when existing technology has been destroyed by disasters. The cell phone then maintains a connection with the antenna in the stratosphere. This in turn sends the cell phone's data into space and back to earth via a satellite. In this way, the cell phone still works even when the radio mast is gone.
But machines and sensors also benefit from the new, limitless connectivity. For example: a cargo ship at sea. It has relied on satellite navigation for many decades. Soon, however, the individual containers on board will also be transmitting. The ship transports the cargo of logistics companies. They want to know where their cargo is at any given time. So that nothing gets lost. That, too, is possible with help from the air and from space. Because modern networks on land, at sea and in the air ensure good connections. All the way into space and back.