The Western Andalusia and Ceuta branch of the Official Association of Telecommunications Engineers of Western Andalusia and Ceuta (COITAOC) has successfully hosted the conference \u2018Challenges in Satellite Communications\u2019, as part of the programme of events taking place in Seville during World Space Week.<\/p>\n
Experts, professionals, institutional representatives and executives from large companies, SMEs and start-ups involved in innovation, technology and space gathered at the Marie Curie Techno-incubator, located in Seville TechPark, turning the event into an open and participatory forum for discussing the evolution of the space industry and its close relationship with telecommunications.<\/p>\n
During the event, attention was drawn to the growth of the aerospace sector in recent years, with nearly 17,000 active satellites in orbit, the emergence of the first smartphones capable of connecting directly to a satellite, and the full integration of satellites into the 5G standard, amongst other milestones. This situation has created a scenario in which space is no longer an isolated niche but has become a core element of global connectivity, offering distinct advantages in communications for the general public through wider coverage, for public authorities in the management of critical services or emergencies, and for businesses in terms of greater continuity and resilience.<\/p>\n
Manuel Ortigosa, Dean of COITAOC, spoke on this topic during the opening of the event. He was accompanied by Eva Mart\u00edn, Director of Innovation and Projects at Sevilla TechPark, and Nicol\u00e1s Mart\u00edn, Director of Users, Services and Applications at the Spanish Space Agency (AEE).<\/p>\n
During his speech, he emphasised that \u201cthe development of the space sector cannot be understood without telecommunications, and vice versa\u201d because \u201csatellites need to communicate with ground stations, send data, receive commands, update their systems, coordinate with other elements of the mission and provide services to public and private users. Meanwhile, the space sector has been an essential complement to improving coverage in remote areas, television transmission and broadcasting, the advancement of navigation systems, support for government communications and the provision of highly specialised private services\u201d.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Ortigosa took advantage of the presence of companies, universities, technology centres, public authorities, professionals and students to urge them to make the most of the opportunities offered by satellite communications to foster collaboration on projects by combining expertise in telecommunications, electronics, software, defence, aeronautics, space, engineering and digital services. \u201cThe event programme reflects these opportunities and the need for collaboration very well,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
The event was brought to a close by Antonio Villegas, Director-General for Economic Development, Business Parks and Science at Seville City Council, and Nieves Valenzuela, Director-General for Strategy, Innovation and Industrial Ecosystems at the Regional Government of Andalusia.<\/p>\n
Both institutional representatives highlighted the importance of the aerospace industry. At a local level, Villegas singled out the city as one of the driving forces behind the sector at a national level, with facilities such as Aer\u00f3polis and the Airbus Defence and Space plant, and as the official headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency.<\/p>\n
For his part, Valenzuela announced the call for applications launched by ESA BIC Andaluc\u00eda, the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) Business Incubation Centre, for new start-ups in the space sector wishing to join its incubation programme; the call will remain open until 30 October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"