Project 5G-aNTeNna KICK-OFF

Sover­eign connec­tivity made in Europe: The pionee­ring 5G-aNTeNna project is driving the deve­lop­ments for compact user termi­nals to foster tech­no­lo­gical inde­pen­dence.

Linz, June 02, 2026 – Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) is leading the deve­lop­ment of a compact Euro­pean user terminal that combines 5G-NTN and highly effi­cient phased-array antennas. The system enables highly secure and resi­lient broad­band commu­ni­ca­tion in the Ka-band. The project consor­tium, which includes Tech­niSat, EnSi­lica, Terma Tech­no­lo­gies, FRITZ!, and CISC Semi­con­ductor, is thus provi­ding the key tech­no­logy for the new EU satel­lite infra­struc­ture IRIS².

The Back­bone for Euro­pe’s Digital Sover­eignty

The Euro­pean Union has laun­ched IRIS² to ensure sover­eign, highly secure, and resi­lient satel­lite broad­band commu­ni­ca­tions, which are essen­tial for govern­ments, the mili­tary, and enter­prises. A remar­kable feature is the constel­la­ti­on’s scala­bi­lity, which opens a massive upco­ming commer­cial market. IRIS² lever­ages 5G-NTN tech­no­logy, which will drive the next major trans­for­ma­tion in the Satcom market.

To fully unlock this dual-use poten­tial, Europe requires ground hard­ware that is not only highly secure but also compact, cost-effi­cient, and scalable for mass produc­tion. The user terminal deve­l­oped in the 5G-aNTeNna project fills this critical gap.

A Strong Euro­pean Alli­ance for Next-Gen Satcom User Termi­nals

To cover the entire value chain from funda­mental re­search to commer­cial mass produc­tion, the 5G-aNTeNna project unites leading Euro­pean experts, each cont­ri­bu­ting critical exper­tise to the termi­nal’s deve­lop­ment:

• Silicon Austria Labs (SAL): Project lead and one of Euro­pe’s top re­search centers for Elec­tro­nics and Soft­ware Based Systems (ESBS), driving appli­ca­tion-oriented cutting-edge re­search, inclu­ding wire­less commu­ni­ca­tions and Milli­meter Wave tech­no­lo­gies.
• Tech­niSat: Pioneer in consumer elec­tro­nics, satel­lite recep­tion tech­no­logy, and large-scale Elec­tronic Manu­fac­tu­ring Services (EMS), inclu­ding PCB assembly, plastic and metal process­ing, device assembly, and product deve­lop­ment.
• EnSi­lica: Fabless semi­con­ductor company with world-class exper­tise in desi­gning and supp­lying custom RF, mmWave, mixed-signal and digital ICs, inclu­ding Ka-band beam­former and 5G-NTN modem chips that are manu­fac­tured prima­rily within the Euro­pean Union.
• Terma Tech­no­lo­gies: Terma is a leading Euro­pean space tech­no­logy company deli­vering mission critical solu­tions for space, defence and secu­rity appli­ca­tions. In the 5G-aNTeNna project, Terma cont­ri­butes its SPECTRA Soft­ware Defined Radio (SDR) plat­form, enab­ling secure, flexible and resi­lient satel­lite commu­ni­ca­tions aligned with Europe IRIS² programme.
• FRITZ! is one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to broad­band internet and digital home solu­tions. Their key port­folio includes the FRITZ!Box for all broad­band connec­tions like 5G, Fiber Optics, DSL, Cable with its soft­ware FRITZ!OS. FRITZ! has focused on deve­lo­ping inno­va­tive products in-house and produ­cing them with part­ners in Europe.
• CISC Semi­con­ductor: A globally opera­ting tech­no­logy company deli­vering hard­ware and soft­ware products, toge­ther with engi­nee­ring services, for mission-critical commu­ni­ca­tion and iden­ti­fi­ca­tion systems. Its SDR- and FPGA-based test, veri­fi­ca­tion, and measu­re­ment solu­tions are trusted by leading compa­nies and ensure the quality, secu­rity, and inter­ope­ra­bi­lity of their products.

Toge­ther, this consor­tium of excel­lence bridges the gap between labo­ra­tory re­search and commer­cial market readi­ness, ensu­ring that Euro­pe’s upco­ming space infra­struc­ture is supported by sover­eign, cutting-edge ground tech­no­logy.

Contact:
Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Wimmer
Manager Busi­ness Deve­lop­ment | Intel­li­gent Wire­less Systems

E-mail: stefan.wimmer@silicon-austria.com
Mobile: +4366488515619