OQ Technology Wins €25M Investment to Expand European 5G NTN Satellite Connectivity
Luxembourg-based satellite operator OQ Technology has secured €25 million in venture debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB), aimed at accelerating development of its low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite network for direct-to-device connectivity.
The financing, supported through the EU’s InvestEU programme, will fund continued R&D and deployment of more than 20 software-defined satellites operating in S- and C-bands, enabling 3GPP-standardized NB-IoT and 5G NR Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) services for both IoT devices and smartphones.
Key takeaways:
European sovereign NTN push: Funding supports a European-owned LEO constellation focused on strategic autonomy and standards-based satellite connectivity.
D2D focus: OQ Technology aims to deliver direct-to-device services including IoT messaging and future smartphone use cases such as text and voice.
Standards alignment: The network is built around 3GPP NB-IoT and 5G NR NTN technologies, supporting interoperability with existing terrestrial ecosystems.
Resilience layer: Services are positioned as a backup and coverage extension for areas lacking terrestrial networks, including rural regions and disaster scenarios.
The EIB has framed the investment as part of Europe’s wider effort to strengthen space and telecom sovereignty, while the European Commission highlighted access to risk finance as essential for scaling commercial space infrastructure. Luxembourg’s government also emphasized the financing as evidence of growing momentum in Europe’s New Space ecosystem.
OQ Technology, which demoed a D2D emergency broadcast in late 2025, plans to use the funding to accelerate constellation deployment and expand commercial readiness for 5G NTN services.
SOURCE: https://www.oqtec.com/news/european-financing-for-luxembourgish-satellite-to-smartphone-connectivity