Project description
Innovative antenna technology could increase satellite internet adoption in remote areas
Satellite internet could help bring broadband access to rural, remote and hard-to-reach areas. Although satellite communications offer more bandwidth and broadcasting possibilities, the technology has not been reliable or responsive enough to compete with fibre- or cable-based internet, mainly owing to the drawbacks of the ground terminals (antennas). The EU-funded RF Beamformer project is developing innovative antenna technology that provides the benefits of a phased-array antenna but with better performance and at a fraction of the cost. The technology, which leverages transformational optics to provide the self-aligning capability of large phased-array antennas, could allow massive-scale deployment of satellite internet in areas with no internet access.
Objective
Broadband has become an essential part of 21st-century infrastructure. New cloud services are making it a necessity for starting and growing small businesses, as well as advancing a wide variety of industries. However, more than half of the world's population still does not have access to internet being at a disadvantage; and the digital gap will continue to grow wider. Traditional wireless networks are expensive to install or expand and consequently low subscriber areas and less lucrative developing regions will likely never see cellular access. As an alternative, satellite access offers more than 5,000 times the spectrum compared to terrestrial networks -plus it is global and cover land, sea and air. Nevertheless, this technology is held back by current ground-based terminal (antenna) solutions that are expensive, single beam, require high power and have limited scalability.
Isotropic’s Radio Frequency (RF) Beamformer technology is a highly innovative system that exploits the science of transformational optics to provide the self-aligning ability of large phased array antennas but with significantly reduced complexity. This allows for drastically reduced cost and power consumption whilst increasing operational flexibility and performance. RF Beamformer is an ultra-low cost antenna technology that enables an optimised ground-based terminal that is otherwise currently missing in the industry development roadmap.
To date we have received $6M in venture capital and following successful results from founder´s research, the technology has reached TRL 5. We are now looking for funds to following our detailed product roadmap, translate our technology to products and bring satellite connectivity to the mass market by 2021.
The proposed work in Phase 1 of the SME Instrument fits into our overall plan to reach the market by contributing the financial resources needed to plan a fast sound wider deployment of RF Beamformer and its market uptake.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications radio technology radio frequency
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- natural sciences computer and information sciences internet internet access
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
N17GU LONDON
United Kingdom
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.