The Catalan company Sateliot has already signed service contracts worth 187 million euros with 350 companies from 50 countries, as explained by its CEO and co-founder, Jaume Sanpera. The company will launch four 5G satellites this year with SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, and will then be able to begin its commercial activity, given that it will already have six satellites in orbit.
Sateliot has so far raised 25 million euros, which it will use to advance the development of its technology, launch its four new nanosatellites, and reinforce its staff, now 50 people, ahead of the commercial launch.
Of this figure, shareholders, including Indra (10.5%), Cellnex (3.5%) and the state, through the public company or Sepides (4.69%), have contributed 11.5%. million euros, and has achieved additional financing of 13.5 million in 2023, with a loan of 6 million from Banco Santander, the issuance of convertible debt for 5 million euros, and another 2.5 million with a participatory loan from the company Avançsa public.
Sateliot aims to earn 500 million euros in 2027-28, when the 100 satellites that make up the complete constellation are already deployed, said Sanpera, since the contracts are for recurring services. The firm plans to double that figure, and reach 1,000 million in turnover in 2030.
Sateliot operates 5G low Earth orbit satellites to connect Internet of Things (IoT) applications. When its new four satellites are operational, 5G connectivity will be accessible to 6.9 million IoT devices, an advance in scale compared to the current situation, which in the last 20 years has only managed to connect 4 million devices.
When they are up and running, Sanpera recalled, “we will have the first constellation of the Internet of Things that will operate throughout the world under the 5G standard. And we will be placing Spain at the forefront of a technology that will make our country a benchmark and a model to follow.”
IoT connectivity by satellite makes it possible to cover many areas where fiber networks or mobile phone connections do not reach, and will allow a technological leap for industries such as agriculture and livestock (to monitor the need for risk or animal control, for example). example), maritime trade, defense or energy.
The four nanosatellites that Sateliot will launch this year are made up of 6 “cubesats” with dimensions of 20 x 10 x 35 centimeters. They are the size of a microwave or air fryer and have a net weight of 10 kilos. They will orbit at an altitude of between 500 and 600 kilometers and are designed for a useful life of five years.
