OQ Technology and LUXUAV team up to close the connectivity gap for drones and aerial systems operating beyond terrestrial networks.
Two Luxembourg space and aerial pioneers join forces to bring LEO satellite connectivity to drones and defense platforms — a deal that signals Europe’s growing ambition in sovereign, next-gen aerospace infrastructure.
We asked Omar Qaise, Founder & CEO of OQ Technology, to unpack what this alliance means in practice — for both companies, and for Europe’s emerging position in dual-use space technologies.
How do you envision this partnership evolving over time, and what would success look like in the medium term?
OQ Technology and LUXUAV are pioneers in their respective sectors – OQ Technology in 5G satellite connectivity and LUXUAV in unmanned vehicles (UAV) or drones. When they join forces, OQ Technology is adding a critical space-based connectivity layer to LUXUAV’s communication infrastructure. Our partnership defines a framework for a cooperation that will integrate advanced and Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite connectivity into aerial platforms. They are critical and urgently needed to ensure resilient and sovereign communications across aerial and remote civil, security and defense operations.
“They are critical and urgently needed to ensure resilient and sovereign communications across aerial and remote civil, security and defense operations.”
How does this collaboration position both companies within the broader European aerospace and connectivity ecosystem?
5G non-terrestrial satellite connectivity from the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for UAV and High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) is a nascent and rapidly growing market and responds to urgent demands from public and private, civil and military entities. With two of its champions in its dynamic ecosystem of space start- and scale-ups joining forces, Luxembourg demonstrates again its capacity to act as a laboratory and hub for innovative space-born dual use technologies and businesses.
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What are the main challenges you anticipate in moving from partnership agreement to real-world deployment, particularly in regulated or sensitive environments?
Our agreement provides a roadmap and outlines the following next steps: the joint development of the technologies needed to seamlessly interconnect our satellites with the UAV platforms, concrete tests, operational validations and field demonstrations, and the development of applications that are critical to a variety of UAV missions, above all for the government sector and sovereignty-oriented services.
“Luxembourg demonstrates again its capacity to act as a laboratory and hub for innovative space-born dual use technologies and businesses.”
How do you see the commercial and go-to-market aspects of this collaboration taking shape as it matures?
Our cooperation is situated in a global market where both the number of projects and the institutional and commercial demand are growing exponentially: the Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity. This means the direct connectivity from satellites to terrestrial or airborne devices. OQ Technology has invested and is innovating along the entire value chain of this new kind of connectivity and is excited to work with LUXUAV in the UAV and drone sector.
