The CSA Catapult, with the support of Innovate UK, will open a Future Telecoms Hub at the Bristol and Bath Science Park in Autumn 2023. The Catapult has identified significant opportunities for growth in the UK telecoms hardware sector. The Future Telecoms Hub will support companies developing telecoms hardware.
The Future Telecoms Hub will allow CSA Catapult to deepen and accelerate its expertise in telecoms by building technology platforms and ecosystems for telecoms hardware.
Driven by the growth of 5G networks and the adoption of next-generation technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things, the telecoms hardware market is forecast to grow in the coming years, with some estimates suggesting that the global telecom equipment market could be worth $967.9 billion by 2030.
The CSA Catapult will also establish a presence in the North East, where there is a cluster of companies working on telecoms, satellite communications and defence technologies. Based at NETPark in Sedgefield, County Durham, CSA Catapult North East will work with companies in the area as a neutral convener. It will facilitate market adoption of new compound semiconductor-based technologies, and build supply chains in telecoms, satellite communications and defence.
CSA Catapult North East will offer direct digital access to the prototyping capabilities that currently exist in Newport, reducing the time and cost to produce advanced semiconductor modules to serve these markets.
CSA Catapult has entered into a partnership agreement to deliver a co-ordinated programme with the Satellite Applications Catapult to help support the cluster’s ambitions for growth and will have a presence at the Space Enterprise Lab and will work closely with Satellite Applications Catapult.
Based at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre in Glasgow, CSA Scotland will open in Autumn 2023. CSA Scotland will work with the regional cluster of companies developing technologies for high power electrification in markets such as energy, marine, rail and off-highway.
CSA Scotland will draw on the considerable expertise of Strathclyde University and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), offering direct digital access to CSA Catapult facilities in South Wales, allowing companies to rapidly design and prototype advanced power electronic modules for these markets.
Commenting Martin McHugh, Chief Executive Officer of CSA Catapult said, “CSA Catapult’s purpose is to deliver long-term benefit to the UK economy and accelerate UK economic growth in industries where applying compound semiconductors creates a competitive advantage.
“Expanding across the UK means we can support more companies and bring more products to market through our technology expertise, supply chain creation and building compound semiconductor clusters. Setting up new centres in Bristol, Scotland and the North East will allow us to grow the ecosystem to support these new and emerging technologies in the UK.
“We will collaborate with universities, start-ups, and larger companies to build new UK-based supply chains in telecoms hardware. We want to support and attract companies leading R&D in the UK. These critical markets, using compound semiconductors, will create significant jobs and growth in the future.”
Dean Cook, Director – Place and Levelling Up, Innovate UK added, “This new investment by Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult will build on its foundations in South Wales and connect this national capability to opportunities across the telecoms industry and their applications in support of business innovation in Scotland, the North East of England and the South West of England.”
