As we close 2024 and look forward to 2025, we would like to highlight the progress our team has made in 2024.
Our R&D team developing the Ka-band multi-orbit electronically steered antenna has made excellent progress during 2024. The design and manufacturing of this revolutionary (ESA) antenna has been completed and testing over both GEO and LEO satellites is progressing well. This 1K element antenna deployed on top of a vehicle can seamlessly track the tested GEO or LEO constellation. The team continues to work hand in hand with the selected manufacturer of these new ESA products to get the antennas ready for volume production in 2025.
In addition, our R&D team continues its work on our 8Channel Analog Beamformer Integrated circuit (BFIC). The design of this BFIC has been completed and work is ongoing with the foundry to have the initial batch of these ICs manufactured. These BFIC’s will be an essential component for all our ESA antennas and will also be made available for sale on a stand-alone basis. We expect to generate additional revenues and enter new markets with this strategic development. The new BFIC’s should be available for testing in the 3rd quarter of 2025.
C-COM Ka band BFIC on Eval board – Rev A
C-COM Prototype Ka Band BFICs (TX and RX) – Rev A
Testing of the 1K element multi-orbit antenna using Telesat’s GEO and LEO satellites should be completed by the end of January 2025 and we expect to test the antenna with several other satellite providers who expressed interest in evaluating this new product. A test using a compact military style drone is also scheduled for the first quarter of 2025. The larger version of the same antenna (4K element) is being assembled and tested with full satellite testing expected to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2025. The initial batch of these antennas will be used for certifications and customer trials. We expect full production to begin by mid-2025.
C-COM Multi-Orbit iNetVu® in Motion Ka-band Phased Array Antenna being tested on a vehicle
Although we made excellent progress with our development team, the satellite industry over the past year has been fraught with uncertainty and disruption. In addition to the massive technological shift in the industry there has been challenges in the talent landscape, geopolitical tensions and the ongoing evolution of the energy sector transition.
More specifically, the satellite industry experienced significant advancements and faced notable challenges in shaping its role in global communications. The deployment of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations accelerated, enhancing global internet coverage. The competition in this segment of the industry delivering low-cost services to large numbers of consumers around the world has intensified and with new players entering the market, the competition especially in the consumer and in-flight connectivity market will increase even more in 2025.
C-COM, along with the entire satellite industry, is being affected by these significant industry transformations. But coping with changes over its 28-year history is not new to C-COM. Our response has been to continue developing new and improved products for our customers and to increase investment in the development of our electronically steered Ka-band multi-orbit antenna (ESA), and its the complementary 8-chanell analogue beamformer integrated circuit.
We’re confident that bringing these two products to market will ensure C-COM’s continued success in this rapidly changing industry.
There will be several variants of this revolutionary ESA – each designed to suit the unique requirements of a specific application. There will also be an opportunity to market ESA models with different price points to meet an array of budgets. This unique multi-orbit Ka-band antenna will be able to operate on existing GEO and future LEO and MEO constellations and will be able to be used in moving vehicles, marine vessels as well as on aircrafts and drones and be adaptable, due to its modularity for use in IoT.
Although the company received fewer large multiunit orders in 2024 than in 2023, we have seen a steady demand for our legacy products including our latest design of Manpack antennas, mainly from the military as well as from the cellular backhaul and from the disaster management markets.
Our largest sale for the year was for Manpacks for use in military communications in Asia. The second largest was also in Asia for oil and gas exploration. These markets are still very active, and we expect more such orders in 2025 into these verticals.
In 2024 we attended and exhibited at 3 trade shows (USA, UAE and Singapore) and visited customers and integrators in Japan, Middle East and Asia.
Our Manpack and Flyaway antennas have been selling well to the militaries worldwide. Multiple Flyway antennas have been recently deployed by SES to the Peruvian Airforce.
Ku, Ka or X-band MP-130-MOT
Our latest design 1.3m Manpack antenna has also generated a lot of interest with a number of these sold to the US military as well as to Japan and the Middle East for disaster management. We have also completed the design of a new Ka-band legacy type product which is presently being certified by a large satellite operator for deployment in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A new military custom-design product is also under consideration for 2025.
