France Bets on Space-Based 5G with €31M for UNIVITY

French space agency CNES has awarded €31 million to UNIVITY, a fast-growing French space telecom startup, to accelerate the development of a sovereign, hybrid 5G network that blends satellites with terrestrial infrastructure. The project, backed by the France 2030 investment program, aims to ensure the presence of a European offering in a sector currently dominated by the U.S. and China.

At the core of the plan is a live demonstration, “uniShape,” that will test how very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellites can seamlessly integrate with mobile operators’ terrestrial 5G systems. Partner TDF will run three new ground stations to anchor the network, enabling high-speed, low-latency services that look and feel just like terrestrial 5G.

Space-based 5G could be the key to connecting the unconnected such as rural villages, remote industrial sites, and disaster-struck regions where traditional networks fall short. And doing it with homegrown French technology strengthens not just digital resilience, but industrial independence.

This €44M program (including UNIVITY’s own investment) follows the company’s successful regenerative 5G payload launch earlier this summer and sets the stage for two prototype satellites in 2027, with a full constellation by 2030.

“Space is the new frontier for telecommunications,” says UNIVITY’s president, Charles Delfieux.

SOURCE: https://www.univity.global/press