GSMA and European Space Agency to partner on satcom/terrestrial technologies. Photo: GSMA

GSMA and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a new memorandum of intent to strengthen partnerships between mobile and satellite industries to collaborate on technologies that bring the two solutions together, the organizations announced Wednesday. The two organizations agreed to focus on technology that integrates satellite communications with 5G and future 6G networks.

The GSMA Foundry innovation center will work closely with ESA’s 5G/6G Hub, based at the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, Oxfordshire. The ESA Hub brings together the satellite industry to work on new collaborative and innovative programs. These centers will work on joint technology challenges supporting terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, and collaborate on events and conferences also. 

“By collaborating more closely with the European Space Agency, and its satellite network operator ecosystem, we hope to accelerate the immense potential satellite and terrestrial telecommunications networks can create for consumers and businesses when they are more closely connected. By working together, we can help the communications industry bring innovative solutions to market,” commented Alex Sinclair, CTO of GSMA.