Tactile Internet (TI). The envisioned purpose of the tactile internet is to enable the delivery of real-time control and physical (haptic) experiences remotely, that means to provide a medium for remote physical interaction in real time with exchange of closed-loop information between virtual and/or real objects, i.e. humans, machines, and processes by enabling haptic interaction with visual feedback. At the application level, automation, robotics, telepresence, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) all play a role. In this way, the Tactile Internet should be able to simultaneously accommodate applications, such as manufacturing, e-health, training, education, road traffic, gaming and others.
Physical Internet (PI). It represents an innovation in logistics which is based on the working principles of the digital Internet. An internet-like network for goods means no data is encapsulated in data packets, but goods are encapsulated in PI-containers. Furthermore, PI-containers are routed through the network via PI-hubs, like data packets are routed through the internet by routers. Most candidate PI architectures highlight the necessity of real-time continuous communication and positioning of the PI-containers. At sea or in zones not covered with cellular networks, the use Satellite Communications is a must to accommodate for ubiquitous communication requirements. The same goes for satellite navigation in order to always locate the PI-container along its path. Applications of the PI could be discovered in the logistics sectors that have most to gain from the PI capabilities, as for example the secure transport of medical goods (drugs, blood samples,..) and the delivery of fresh food requiring timely delivery and monitoring of integrity of the goods.
Internet of People (IoP). In the Internet of people, users’ personal mobile devices will assume a special role as the main interface connecting people to the Internet. As they will be the “gateways” through which the users access the internet, they become the proxies of their human users in the cyber world. The users’ personal devices are not anymore passive generators and consumers of data, but they play an active role, either through local decisions, or through collaborative decisions with other devices with which they interact by incorporating models of their human users’ behavior. Stretching this vision further, IoP could embrace even a tighter integration between the Internet and humans, allowing humans themselves to contribute (cognitive) resources to the Internet functions. In IoP, humans can also be “used” as network nodes. Applications of IoP could be discovered in creative industries, personal services and others.
Internet for All People. The benefits of the Internet are not accessible to everyone. In particular, one fundamental human right, the right to speech (Freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) is denied to many world citizens due to a lack of economic means to purchase or contract the communication means or censorship of the information to be transmitted or retrieved by authorities. Satellite Communications, and in particular upcoming satellite constellations, have the strongest potential to deliver the Internet for All People. Not just for the ones who can afford it or the ones authorized by their institutions, but for all. The potential market is large and includes countless NGOs operating abroad, poor communities and individuals facing critical or life-threatening situations.