OQ Technology has been awarded a €1M contract by the European Space Agency under its ARTES programme to develop BEAMSAT-5G, a project focused on accelerating the integration of terrestrial 5G technologies with satellite communications.
The initiative, titled “Bringing 5G Beamforming Technologies to SATCOM through Breadboarding and Validation (BEAMSAT-5G),” officially began on February 3, 2026, with OQ Technology serving as the prime contractor. The project is designed to advance beamforming technologies and support their transition toward industrialisation and commercial deployment in satellite systems.
BEAMSAT-5G is a key step for the company as it works on its next generation of direct-to-device satellites and payloads, which are expected to incorporate high-capacity, multi-beam phased array antennas. These systems will underpin OQ Technology’s direct-to-smartphone services. The company is currently preparing to launch three direct-to-device satellite missions using first-generation payloads capable of supporting two-way texting and voice messaging. It has already marked a milestone in the sector by becoming the first European satellite operator to enable emergency message broadcasts directly to standard smartphones via low Earth orbit satellites.
The project comes as demand for seamless global connectivity continues to grow, driving industry efforts to integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Advances in 5G and the emerging 6G technology have significantly enhanced beamforming capabilities, improving spectrum efficiency, increasing capacity and enabling more flexible coverage.
Through BEAMSAT-5G, OQ Technology will evaluate how terrestrial beamforming techniques can be adapted for satellite environments, where stricter requirements such as link budgets, environmental constraints and reliability must be addressed.
Omar Qaise, CEO of OQ Technology, said: “BEAMSAT-5G is a strategic step in bringing terrestrial 5G innovations into the satellite domain. By advancing beamforming technologies for space applications, we are accelerating the convergence of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks and enabling scalable, standards-based direct-to-device connectivity worldwide.”
By enabling the integration of terrestrial 5G and 6G technologies into satellite systems, BEAMSAT-5G is expected to contribute to more cost-efficient, flexible and scalable satellite communications solutions, while accelerating innovation cycles across the ecosystem. The project further strengthens OQ Technology’s position at the forefront of 5G NTN and supports its mission to deliver seamless, global connectivity directly to standard devices.
