INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY
SOFTWARE
UNIVITY raises € 27 million to build high-speed space-based Internet infrastructure for telecom operators
UNIVITY, the French start up operating space-based connectivity services, has closed a € 27 million funding round. This funding will enable the company to complete execution of its uniShape VLEO 5G demonstration program, develop a uniquely positioned offering for telecom operators, strengthen and structure its teams and prepare for industrial and commercial scale-up from 2028.
At a time when sovereignty challenges have never been more critical, UNIVITY offers telecom operators a unique alternative – enabling them to retain strategic control over their space-based connectivity services.
As terrestrial and space networks converge, a global market expected to reach several tens of billions of euros by 2030 is emerging, with telecom operators seeking to preserve their central role against vertically integrated models from new entrants.
UNIVITY’ s strategy is built on two core technological pillars. First, its positioning in Very Low Earth Orbit( VLEO), enabling significantly lower latency, improved performance – including smartphones and connected vehicles – and rapid natural atmospheric disintegration at the end of satellites’ life, contributing to orbital sustainability.
Second, the use of telecom operators’ 5G spectrum, ensuring native integration with existing mobile networks and enabling seamless 5G NTN service continuity, without relying on frequency bands already saturated or pre-empted by new entrants. Together, these choices position UNIVITY as a key player in the convergence of terrestrial and space networks.
In a market largely dominated by vertically integrated, B2C-oriented constellations, UNIVITY is taking a fundamentally different approach. The company aims to place telecom operators back at the centre of the value chain by developing a shared, neutral space infrastructure that they can commercialise themselves – just as they do today with terrestrial networks.
Charles Delfieux, Founder and CEO, UNIVITY, said:
“ Our ambition is to enable operators to leverage space as a natural extension of their terrestrial 5G networks – combining performance, competitiveness and sovereignty.”
This Series A will support the execution of the uniShape program, the first VLEO-based 5G NTN demonstrator, developed with the support of CNES. Two VLEO 5G satellites will be assembled, integrated, tested and operated in orbit to validate an end-toend high-throughput 5G NTN service, as well as Direct-to-Cell smartphone connectivity – from ground gateways to end-user devices.
This demonstrator will represent a world first and a key milestone toward the deployment of the commercial uniSky constellation. It will demonstrate full interoperability between terrestrial and space networks within a controlled convergence framework.
The funding round also marks a new phase of development: the transition to industrial and commercial scale. The company is strengthening its teams in engineering, industrialisation and business development to prepare for the next phase, set to begin in 2028.
Furthermore, through this funding round and with the support of CNES, UNIVITY is accelerating the development of a competitive space infrastructure designed to complement fibre and cellular networks and restore operators’ control over their spacebased expansion. •
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