Advanced Television

SWISSto12 to develop SES’s O3b mPOWER ground terminals

February 27, 2025

SWISSto12, the Radio Frequency (RF) product and GEO small satellite manufacturer, has been selected by SES to develop large aperture electronically steered antennas for its customer user terminals for its second generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation, O3b mPOWER.

O3b mPOWER – operational since 2024 – is designed to bring high-performance connectivity to even the most remote regions.

SWISSto12’s antenna represents a low-cost, resilient and low-maintenance solution replacing traditional mechanically motorised antennas without the performance penalty usually associated with active arrays. It is intended especially for mobile backhauling customers.

Mathieu Billod, Head of Satcom User Terminals at SWISSto12, commented: “SWISSto12 is proud to collaborate with SES – a leading satellite operator with the highest technical requirements – for the development of innovative full-duplex Ka-band shared aperture, cost-efficient, electronically steered antenna for the benefit of users globally.”

Jean-Pierre Choffray, VP of Systems Engineering at SES, added: “SES is excited to collaborate with SWISSto12 to develop groundbreaking and innovative electronically steered antennas for cellular backhaul applications via SES’s O3b mPOWER fleet. SWISSto12’s solution which utilises additive manufacturing is anticipated to offer a highly compelling performance and cost trade-off, crucial for this demanding application. This solution is expected to deliver the benefits of electronic steering typically associated with small-sized active arrays.”

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