Sateliot Seeks $108M to Boost 5G Satellite Network

Jan de Vries · 2026-04-10

Let's talk about something that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie, but it's happening right now. Barcelona-based Sateliot, a company that's basically building a 5G network from space, just announced they're looking to raise a massive new round of funding. We're talking about $108 million. That's a lot of zeros. This Series C round, as they call it, just opened up. They're hoping to close it by this summer. It's mostly equity funding, but they might add some debt into the mix too. Here's the kicker—they expect up to half of that money could come from public co-financing. That's a huge vote of confidence. ### Why This Funding Round Matters This isn't their first rodeo. Back in March 2025, they pulled in about $76 million in a Series B round. This new ask is bigger, and it shows just how fast they're trying to move. Jaume Sanpera, the CEO, put it pretty clearly. He said this round "reflects the company’s scale and timing." It's their largest funding round to date, and the goal is simple: accelerate everything. With this cash, they plan to speed up the deployment of their satellite constellation and push their commercial plans on a global scale. Sanpera trusts that industrial, financial, and institutional investors will step up to help build a solid European 5G satellite infrastructure. It's about more than just one company; it's about digital sovereignty. ### The Big Picture in European SpaceTech To understand how significant this is, you have to look at what else is happening. Sateliot's $108 million target places it among the largest funding rounds in the European SpaceTech scene for 2025-2026, especially for satellite connectivity. Let's look at some of the neighbors: - France's Look Up raised $54 million for space traffic management. - London's Spaceflux secured $6.6 million to grow its satellite-tracking network. - Spain's own Kreios Space got $8.7 million for propulsion tech. - Germany's Reflex Aerospace landed $54 million for satellite manufacturing. - France's U-Space and Infinite Orbits raised $26 million and $43 million, respectively. Add Sateliot's own previous $76 million round to that mix, and you're looking at nearly $269 million flowing into this sector recently. That's a serious amount of belief in the future of space-based infrastructure. ### A Story of Growth and Ambition Óscar López, Spain's Minister for Digital Transformation, was at the announcement. He highlighted Sateliot's crazy growth. Since its earlier funding, the company has doubled its team. Even more impressive? They've locked in about $292 million in pre-contracts with companies worldwide and partnered with major telecom players like Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom. They even bagged a "Future Unicorn" award. López called Sateliot "an example of Spanish and European digital sovereignty." The Spanish government is proud to back a project that handles the entire satellite lifecycle—design, assembly, control—right there in Spain. ### The Technology Behind the Vision So, what's so special about what they're building? Founded in 2018, Sateliot deployed the first low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that works with the 3GPP standard. In plain English? That means regular, off-the-shelf NB-IoT devices can connect directly to their satellites without any special modifications. Their tech blends ground-based and satellite networks. The goal is to provide affordable, global 5G connectivity to places that traditional infrastructure can't reach—think remote areas, ships at sea, or disaster zones. To date, they've raised close to $108 million from a powerhouse group of backers. We're talking about big names like Indra, Cellnex, Banco Santander, and even the European Investment Bank. They've already launched six satellites. If this new funding comes through, the money will mainly go toward deploying 16 more satellites. These new birds will complete their Internet of Things (IoT) network and act as a demo for their advanced 5G New Radio tech, which will handle voice, video, and data. Looking further ahead, they're already planning their next-generation Tritó satellites for a 2027 launch. It's a bold vision. They're not just launching hardware; they're trying to weave a seamless, secure web of connectivity for the entire planet. And with this latest funding push, they're putting the pedal to the metal to make it a reality.