Astrocast joins the XGain initiative to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas

Vaud-based scale-up Astrocast, a leading global Satellite IoT network operator, has announced its participation in the European Union-funded XGain initiative.

The XGain project, which began in September 2022 and will last three years, has a EUR 4.88 million budget co-funded by the European Union. It brings together 17 partners from 12 countries to foster sustainable, balanced, and inclusive development of rural, coastal, and urban areas using technology. XGain provides relevant stakeholders with access to a comprehensive inventory of smart XG (next-generation smart connectivity technologies), along with a Knowledge Facilitation Tool that supports decision-making and business model development for participating organizations.

Founded in 2014 as an EPFL spin-off, Vaud-based Astrocast specializes in SatIoT and willl offer its expertise and communication modules to support the aquaculture project in Croatia. This will allow key water parameters to be monitored at an oyster farm near Sibenik, showcasing how data can be retrieved from remote sensors using an extended network infrastructure combining LoRaWAN and Satellite Communications. The project will demonstrate how the satellite-based IoT technology can improve economic and environmental performance in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

Astrocast has successfully launched several nanosatellites, with plans to increase its operating satellite network to 100 satellites by the end of 2024. The funds raised from the listing will accelerate the deployment of its constellation, contributing to the company’s goal of providing reliable and energy-efficient two-way IoT communications worldwide.

Astrocast’s involvement in the XGain project highlights its commitment to bridging the digital divide in rural areas through innovative satellite-based IoT solutions, which is in line with the company’s aim to create a low-cost global satellite network to cover maritime areas and emerging countries, which are poorly serviced by existing cellular networks.