The European Space Agency (ESA) and Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) Foundry announced at MWC25 Barcelona, Spain, an ESA-funding round to support three innovation challenges.
Each innovation challenge targets critical aspects of future connectivity. The first centres on direct-to-device communications, aiming to revolutionise how mobile devices interact with satellites. This breakthrough technology promises to extend connectivity to the world's most remote regions, supporting emergency services and bridging the digital divide for underserved communities.
The second challenge ventures into 6G innovation, where satellite-terrestrial convergence will play a pivotal role. The challenge will use the standardisation recommendations from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), with the aim to maximise benefits across industrial partners and users and focus on ultra-low latency applications, advanced IoT, and edge intelligence.
The third challenge focuses on creating pioneering 5G/6G hubs, following the successful model established at ESA's European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), located at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the UK. These hubs, integrating satellite technology into 5G/6G networks, enable testing of use cases ranging from autonomous vehicles to next-generation logistics, smart cities, and public safety networks.
Interested companies and organisations are invited to submit their proposals until 30 June 2025. Successful applicants will receive funding as well as opportunities to collaborate with leading organisations in the telecommunications and space sectors. Selected innovators will also have the opportunity to showcase their achievements at MWC26 and other GSMA Foundry events.
Antonio Franchi, ESA’s Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office, said: “We are proud to partner with GSMA Foundry on these new industry challenges and we are pleased to expand our investment in the industry. Our goal is to support the satellite and mobile industries to connect everyone, everywhere, and at any time, and this collaboration is a major step towards achieving that vision.”
"By working together, we can unlock the full potential of satellite and terrestrial telecommunications networks, paving the way for groundbreaking solutions that deliver significant benefits to both society and industry," said Richard Cockle, Head of GSMA Foundry.
