Picking up the internet or mobile phone signal in space

[Theranged]

Can this be done? If so just how far can away could you pick up the internet or a mobile phone signal?

[Milvus]

GSM phone signals run out at about 25 miles given ideal conditions

[Theranged]

25 miles outside the earths atmosphere?

[Milvus]

25 from transmitter

[Skids]

About 3 miles off shore you tend to lose phone signal.

[Buenchico]

You might actually find that you could get a signal much further out than that if the transmitter was beaming a signal to your location, rather than broadcasting it in all directions. (You'd also need a decent aerial, preferably a dish, attached to the phone or whatever).

The Sky satellite transmitters, for example, operate at roughly the same power levels as the tungsten bulb in a desk lamp but they can be received over wide areas here on Earth, 22000 miles away.

Chris