Sofant Technologies, a Scottish radio tech company, has received €7.3 million (nearly £6.2 million) in funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). This financial backing will support the commercialization of its low-power, low-cost satellite communications platform.
The funding comes as Sofant Technologies gears up for its first Series A funding round, to scale its base in Edinburgh and triple its headcount from 16 to 48 over the contract period. This will create numerous highly-skilled jobs within Scotland’s engineering sector, from antenna and product design to component, product, and software engineering.
Sofant is using its patented RF MEMS technology to develop an extremely low power, low-cost platform that solves the most pressing power consumption and heat problems in satellite communications and 5G antenna systems.
Sofant’s platform avoids the need for complex and expensive cooling systems and will enable SatCom and 5G wireless networks to operate with 70 percent less power.
“We are honored that the UKSA and the ESA have agreed to support the commercialization of Sofant’s technology. They have a clear understanding of the technical challenges faced by the satellite communications industry as it seeks to exploit the promise of a new generation of satellite networks. They also share our belief that a scalable technology platform that solves power consumption and heat problems in phased array antennas is critical for future wireless communications. We look forward to working with the team at the ESA throughout this project,” said David Wither, CEO of Sofant Technologies.
