It’s been more than a year since the nanosatellite Enxanetalaunched into space in 2021 by the Generalitat, it completed its mission and disintegrated in the Earth’s atmosphere. But the Catalan strategy of setting foot in space with satellites the size of a cardboard box did not begin or end with Enxaneta. Catalonia has a space plan in place to be relevant in the new generation of satellites which, from space, work like telecommunications towers and allow connectivity to reach places hitherto impossible. The plan has generated a certain ecosystem of companies and research, and one of the most important companies is Sateliot, founded in 2018 and responsible, together with Open Cosmos, for the development of the Generalitat Enxaneta nanosatellite. Sateliot has already launched six satellites into space and plans to begin the industrial phase soon. To accelerate this process, the company inaugurated the first European 5G satellite development center this Monday in Barcelona.
The goal of this new center is to accelerate the production of these satellites capable of connecting with both Internet of Things devices and mobile phones, even in remote areas of the planet. “It is the first in Europe dedicated to the design, development and verification of 5G satellites according to common standards for all mobile operators (3GPP),” says the company in a statement, which underlines the strategic importance for Europe of having relevance in this sector, both for its civil and military uses, as demonstrated by the importance of the American company Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, in the war in Ukraine.
Sateliot enjoys broad institutional and financial support. Its shareholders include the Government, through the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), known as SEPI digital—, Indra, Cellnex, Global Portfolio Investments and Hyperion Fund, the fund promoted by Pablo Casado, among others. Sateliot’s business plan is to reach 1 billion in revenues by 2030, and it has four years to achieve it, given that the commercial phase will begin in 2026. After launching six satellites into space (including four in August 2024), the company plans to launch five more next year, and already has 500 customers hooked up. In April this year Sateliot obtained financing of 70 million euros. The State has allocated 13.85 million and the Pablo Casado fund 10 million. In December 2024, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €30 million loan with Sateliot.
The general director and founder of Sateliot, Jaume Sanpera, states in the press release that a new phase begins with the new development center. “A phase in which Catalonia, Spain and Europe demonstrate that they are aligned to drive 5G connectivity from space, with their own technology and global ambition.” And he adds: “A stage that we face with a clear direction marked by 3GPP standards, full integration with mobile operators, global coverage and services that work in the same way in the port of Rotterdam, in the Pyrenees or in the middle of the Atlantic and, above all, in real time”. Present at the inauguration were the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; of the government delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto; the vice-president of the European Parliament Javi López; and the fourth deputy mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Valls, among other authorities. López underlined the strategic importance of this new center for Europe: “The commitment is materializing to have a Europe that is not resigned to dependence” on satellite telecommunications, which are “critical infrastructures” for sectors such as security and energy.
The new center has a 100 square meter clean room for prototype production, two laboratories and an operations control space. The new 5G Tritó satellites are being designed there, which weigh 150 kilos, will have a useful life of seven years and will also be manufactured in Barcelona. The forecast is to put the first Trito into orbit in early 2027 with the help of SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company. This center has added 50 new quality jobs in Sateliot.
The Government will allocate 1,000 million until 2030 in artificial intelligence
EP
The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, announced on Monday that the Government will allocate 1,000 million euros until 2030 in the strategy for the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in Catalonia: “With the unequivocal objective of gaining competitiveness, improving the quality of life and ensuring shared, responsible, ethical and safe prosperity”. He said this during the conference “Intelligent Catalonia: artificial intelligence to transform the future” at the Torre Glòries in Barcelona, in which he explained that the Catalunya Intel·ligència Artificial 2030 strategy expects to be approved this Tuesday by the Consell Executiu. The plan includes 88 actions, although 26 of these are priorities with a budget of 870 million euros, mostly public, structured into 8 axes: infrastructure; talent; investigation; Artificial intelligence in the company; public sector; ethics, regulation and guarantees in the use of AI; digital society and global projection of Catalan artificial intelligence.
Among the proposals, Illa highlighted the transformation of public administration, with a budget of 60 million, increasing operational efficiency by up to 20%; 200 million to guarantee high-capacity fiber and 5G connectivity, to cover 100% of the territory; and integrating artificial intelligence into administrative processes “to reduce processing times by up to 40%.” According to government sources, the project plans to benefit more than 5,000 SMEs and self-employed workers, transform more than 200 public services and train around 30,000 public workers, as well as develop more than 100 projects impacting key services such as healthcare, energy or mobility in Catalonia.
Among noteworthy actions in the infrastructure axis, the Government will develop a “sovereign public cloud” with the aim of diversifying the uses of the Generalitat in the cloud and the functions of the type of digital services. For this initiative, 120 million euros have been allocated, a public consultation has already been carried out to receive proposals for solutions on the private cloud and a call for tenders will be held in this regard during 2026. An allocation is also made to promote the creation of AI gigafactories, in the framework of the candidacy formalized by Spain to host one of the first AI gigafactories in Europe in Móra la Nova (Tarragona) and to which the Generalitat gives its support. In the field of talent and research, an increase in the training offer is expected and that in 2030 there will be 250 more students in AI degree courses, while the plan also includes support for talent with “continuing training”. Likewise, priority actions are identified such as the promotion of the Catalan language in the field of artificial intelligence, the promotion of dissemination campaigns on its responsible use, the integration of artificial intelligence in the digital transformation of administrative processes and the promotion of a consultancy service for SMEs, among others.
