The investment comes from Expansion – a venture capital company that is backed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union, and a number of public and private financial institutions – and Bpifrance – which manages the French Tech Seed fund on behalf of the French government.
The company’s aim is to enable telecom operators, using 5G spectrum, to provide high-speed, low-latency Internet from space. Potentially this could be complementing their terrestrial networks. Potential markets it identifies include maritime operations, in-flight-connectivity, railways and also automotive.
The funding will enable the first end-to-end connectivity tests on the ground and in orbit, says the company. It will also complete detailed engineering studies for the first two satellites of the constellation.
“We are thrilled to have secured this funding, which will allow us to continue developing our constellation and help telecom operators unlock the enormous potential of space-based connectivity,” said Charles Delfieux, CEO and founder of Constellation.global (right).
“Our mission is to bridge the digital divide and provide universal internet access, empowering telecom operators to serve customers even in the most remote areas.”
Claire Waché, Senior Investment Officer at Bpifrance, highlighted CT&O’s support for 5G:
“We’re pleased to support Constellation Technologies & Operations (Constellation.global), as its technological innovations around ultra-low orbit and the use of 5G spectrum are key to enable telecoms operators to enter and compete in the space connectivity market,” he said. “This investment reflects Bpifrance’s mission to support disruptive innovation in strategic sectors”.
Constellation Technologies & Operations – which is based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Versailles – was founded by Charles Delfieux in 2022.
Image: Constellation.global
See also: AT&T, Google and Vodafone back AST’s space-based 5G connectivity
