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Sofant Technologies appointed to a European GPS project


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PRESS RELEASE

November 14th 2012, PRESS RELEASE

Sofant Technologies appointed to a European GPS project

Sofant Technologies, a pioneering provider of miniaturized smart antennae technology, today announced its appointment to ARMOURS, a two year with a value of 1.5M euro project to contribute to the development of Galileo PRS (Public Regulated Service). This news comes just weeks after the high profile launch of Sofant's revolutionary technology from the company's headquarters in Scotland.

ARMOURS Project Logo

Working as part of an elite consortium, Sofant's role on the ARMOURS project, is to develop low cost miniature steerable antennae that can be incorporated into portable devices including smart phones as well as the clothing and uniforms used by police, intelligence services, customs officials, coast guards, peacekeeping forces and rescue teams.

This new affordable multi-frequency receiver technology is intended for future use with Europe's ‘Galileo' satellite navigation system which has been developed as an alternative to the US controlled GPS system.
The Galileo system is solely European-controlled and will deliver a number of navigation services including an open service for the public, a commercial service and an encrypted service for Government authorised users (namely PRS) with a critical need for a robust, secure, continuous positioning service including the police, security, defence and rescue services. The encrypted service offers extra protection against the threat of disruption from cyber-terrorism and other malicious interference.

Jointly funded by the GSA (European GNSS Agency) and the EU as part of the FP7 program, the ARMOURS (Antenna and fRont-end MOdules for pUblic Regulated Service) project will be delivered by a powerful consortium of European technology players operating beyond the cutting-edge of their respective fields.

Sofant's partners on the project include ACORDE Technologies, a leading telecommunications company based in Spain, coordinating the project; Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; and Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC), the largest microelectronics research body in Europe.

Sofant's Chief Operating Officer, Ahmed El-Rayis, says: “We're delighted to be taking part in the ARMOURS project and to be collaborating with such an exceptional group of partners. Galileo will provide a vital layer of protection against cyber-terrorism and service disruption for many of Europe's critical public services, so we're honoured to be utilising our own unique technology solutions to help make potentially life-saving applications a reality.”



ABOUT SOFANT TECHNOLOGIES
Based in Scotland, Sofant is a fabless antenna and RF solutions provider designing and licensing smart antenna technologies for leading manufacturers of smart phones and tablets. The company specialises in highly compact, reliable, low power and innovative antenna and RF micro-electro-mechanical systems (RF-MEMS) solutions.
Co-founded by Ahmed El-Rayis, Tughrul Arslan and Nakul Haridas, the company is backed by a professional CEO Sergio Tansini, MD of Regenersis mobile and formerly COO at IndigoVision.
Following seven years research and development at The University of Edinburgh and funded by the EPSRC and Scottish Enterprise, Sofant has designed high performance, miniaturised smart antennae that will allow next generation smart phones and tablets to work to their full potential and meet the needs of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 4G.