Fleet Space Technologies has expanded its global footprint with its acquisition of rights to new long-term frequency filings in Europe.
The filing provides a claim over spectrum and orbital resources for satellite networks with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN).
Fleet’s newly acquired filing rights have good seniority which means they take priority over those submitted more recently. The filings have been brought into use, so Fleet will be able to utilise the new frequencies indefinitely as long as it maintains a satellite in orbit capable of using them
The exponential expansion of the global small-satellite industry and the rise of low earth orbit (LEO) constellations, including Fleet’s, have placed significant strain on the limited radio frequency spectrum available for data transmission.
To address this challenge, the ITU frequency filing system has been established, aiming to facilitate coordination among satellite operators and ensure interference-free operations for spacecraft utilizing these shared resources.
The new frequency filings will also help secure Fleet’s access to uplink and downlink resources in the targeted frequency band, maximising service availability to its satellite customers worldwide.
Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO & Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies said, “As Fleet Space Technologies company is now providing innovative universal connectivity solutions through its network of satellites across the globe to sectors as diverse as critical mineral exploration and defence,”
“To meet this sustained demand, we depend on access to the shared but limited radio frequency spectrum to operate our services. Securing access to these new frequency filings puts us in a strong position globally and gives us and our customers a real competitive advantage,”
“It also represents another important step in our international expansion, by giving us a commercial foothold in Europe to complement our operations in Australia, USA, Canada and Chile,” said Tata Nardini
Additionaly, a presence in Europe will stimulate the recruitment and exchange of highly skilled talent between Europe and Australia, and further improve established relationships with the European Space Agency (ESA).
Fleet’s continuous expansion across various sectors has led to the necessity of incorporating assets from other companies exiting the industry. The rapid growth has been fueled by several factors, such as securing long-term agreements with major and innovative mining companies for satellite-aided critical earth transition minerals.
Fleet also achieved a significant milestone by securing its first defense contract in April 2023, entering into a AUD$6.4 million agreement with Australia’s Defense Space Command.
It successfully completed a Series C funding round, raising $50 million in May, and was recently granted a A$4 million Demonstrator Program contract by the Australian Space Agency.