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Systems and technologies
The systems behind telecom.

The technologies that carry this industry’s observations, ranked against what it needs to observe and drawn from across the spectrum.

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  1. Telecom · Systems and technologies

    Towers that compute, sense and connect

    AI-RAN and edge compute at the tower, private 5G for enterprises, timing and spectrum monitoring, satellite backhaul and ground segment, and towers that host observing instruments as a second tenant. Needs: spectrum occupancy and interference, timing accuracy, site power and cooling, backhaul for remote sites and tower capacity for hosted instruments.

  2. Platform · Connectivity

    Private 5G, AI-RAN and orbit, on site

    Standalone private 5G and O-RAN, AI-RAN on shared accelerated compute, LEO and GEO backhaul and 3GPP direct-to-device, LPWAN and mesh for sensors over kilometres, PTP timing inside the budget, and the spectrum route for each country. Every reading and every change leaves a record that can be checked later.

    Connectivity
  3. Platform · Edge compute & AI

    Inference beside the instrument

    A modular edge data centre at the foot of the tower, multi-access edge computing one hop from the radio, inference on the live stream, scientific models run where the data lands, and physical AI for drones and robots, inside published red lines.

    Edge compute & AI
  4. Platform · Field services

    Survey to decommission, one accountable crew

    Ground, RF and power surveyed before anything is chosen, installation and commissioning to the plan, a Managed Site run for you, support by plan, training on your own site, and decommissioning with every part recorded. Changes are versioned, tested and reversible.

    Field services
  5. Platform · Hardware & power

    Built for the site, not the lab

    Every reading and every change leaves a record that can be checked later. The same design repeats from the first site to the last. It runs on the open Observatory Protocol, so other providers can join. Crews, software and records stay the same as the network grows.

    Hardware & power
  6. Platform · Sensors & instruments

    Measurements that carry their own proof

    Weather and environment stations to WMO practice, RF spectrum sensing in the band, and calibration that is traceable, recorded and repeated. Every value leaves with its metadata, quality flag and provenance. Or buy the observations and leave the hardware to us: Sensing as a Service.

    Sensors & instruments
  7. Platform · Positioning, navigation and timing

    Where and when, with the error bound

    GNSS reference stations tied to the geodetic frame, PTP and SyncE time distribution engineered to the budget, grandmasters and holdover that ride through outages, and resilient PNT that finds jamming and spoofing before a timestamp goes wrong. It runs on the open Observatory Protocol, so other providers can join.

  8. Platform · Earth observation & GeoAI

    The ground, measured and modelled

    Ground-segment downlink and processing at the edge, drone and imagery campaigns planned to the ground sample distance, site twins measured in 3D, and GeoAI trained and checked against field truth, with the source and licence of every layer in view.

    Earth observation & GeoAI
  9. How it scales

    One base unit, repeated

    A programme starts with one base node and the instruments it reads. A station adds power and radio, a site adds a relay, a fleet repeats the proven site across many places, and a network federates fleets through edge and core. Capacity grows by adding units, never by replacing what works.

  10. Updates

    Updates in rings, with rollback

    Software and configuration reach the fleet in rings: a canary site first, then a few, then all, each ring gated on health and data completeness. A failed gate stops the wave and returns each node to its last good release, without a site visit.

  11. Field service

    One crew, from survey to repair

    The same crew surveys, installs, commissions, calibrates and repairs, working from the site’s own record. Each visit updates it, so the next crew knows exactly what is there, when it was last checked and why it was changed. Spares and references are planned from that history.

  12. What you get

    AI-RAN and multi-access edge deployment

    RAN and AI workloads on shared accelerated compute at the cell site or edge, integrated with O-RAN interfaces. Delivered as professional services and managed service, for carriers, neutral hosts, large enterprises. Scale: Carrier-scale rollouts. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.

    Talk to sales
  13. Next step

    Plan a telecom deployment

    Tell us the sites, the measurements and the people who will use them. We reply with a design and a scope for telecom. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.

    Plan a deploymentOpen the StudioRead the stories

01AI-RAN and Open RAN

AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure.

Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

AI-and-RAN (shared GPU for RAN and AI)

Running the RAN and AI inference on the same accelerated servers, with RAN given priority when traffic needs it.

AI-RAN Alliance AI-and-RAN working group · O-RAN WG6 AAL

Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

AI-on-RAN (edge AI services on RAN sites)

Hosting third-party and site AI applications on RAN compute close to users and sensors.

AI-RAN Alliance AI-on-RAN working group · ETSI GS MEC 003

Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

Software-defined L1 on GPUs

Running the full physical layer in software on GPUs instead of fixed-function hardware.

O-RAN WG6 AAL General Aspects and Principles

Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

RAN-first workload scheduling

Schedulers that protect RAN deadlines and lend idle accelerator time to AI jobs.

O-RAN WG6 O2dms Interface Specification

Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

Isolation between RAN and AI tenants

Hardware and software isolation so AI tenants cannot affect RAN timing or reach RAN data.

O-RAN WG11 security specifications · IETF RFC 9334 (remote attestation architecture)

AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI-RAN: shared accelerated infrastructure

AI-for-RAN

Using AI models to improve radio performance, spectral efficiency and operations.

AI-RAN Alliance AI-for-RAN working group · 3GPP TR 38.843

All 7 in this layer

02Ground segment

Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks.

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Shared antenna networks

Pay-per-pass access to antennas across many sites so missions do not have to build their own.

CCSDS 910.4-B (cross support reference model) · CCSDS 911.1-B (SLE return all frames)

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Space link extension services

Standard services that deliver frames and accept commands between a ground station and a remote mission centre.

CCSDS 911.1-B (RAF) · CCSDS 911.2-B (RCF) · CCSDS 912.1-B (forward CLTU)

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Pass scheduling and resource management

Booking, deconfliction and configuration of antennas and modems for each contact.

CCSDS cross support service management

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

High-latitude and polar ground sites

Northern sites that see polar-orbiting satellites on most orbits and cut data latency.

ITU RR Appendix 7 · Rec. ITU-R P.618

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Ground segment cybersecurity

Access control, segmentation, monitoring and recovery for command and control systems.

NIST IR 8401 (satellite ground segment and the Cybersecurity Framework) · ISO/IEC 27001

Ground segment · Ground-station-as-a-service and antenna networks

Federated and hybrid ground networks

Combining owned, partner and agency antennas behind one scheduling and data interface.

CCSDS 910.4-B (cross support reference model)

All 7 in this layer

035G and 6G radio access networks

Private networks and RAN sharing.

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

Standalone non-public networks (SNPN)

Fully separate private 5G networks with their own identifiers, core and subscriptions.

3GPP TS 23.501 clause 5.30.2

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

Public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN)

Private networks delivered as slices or DNNs of a public network, with closed access groups.

3GPP TS 23.501 clause 5.30.3

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

Neutral host networks

One shared network that serves several operators’ subscribers in buildings, campuses or rural corridors.

3GPP TS 23.251 (network sharing) · 3GPP TS 23.501 (SNPN with credentials from a separate entity)

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

RAN sharing (MORAN and MOCN)

Operators sharing radios and sometimes spectrum to cut cost in low-density areas.

3GPP TS 23.251 · 3GPP TS 32.130 (network sharing management)

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

Industrial 5G LAN and TSN integration

Layer-2 group services and time-sensitive networking bridging for operational technology.

3GPP TS 23.501 clauses 5.27 and 5.29 · 3GPP TS 22.104

5G and 6G radio access networks · Private networks and RAN sharing

Shared and local spectrum for private networks

CBRS-type tiered access and local licences that let enterprises and communities run their own networks.

FCC 47 CFR Part 96 (CBRS) · ISED non-competitive local licensing framework (3900–3980 MHz)

All 7 in this layer

04Remote sensing and Earth observation

Tasking, ground segment and access.

Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Optical ground stations

Laser downlink terminals that relieve radio spectrum limits, with weather-diverse site networks.

CCSDS 141.0-B (optical communications physical layer)

Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Tasking, mission planning and revisit analysis

Choosing what to acquire and when, modelling revisit, look angle and cloud risk against need.

OGC API – Connected Systems Part 2 (commands and tasking) · OGC Sensor Planning Service 2.0

Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Orbit and conjunction data

Standard orbit and conjunction messages used to predict passes and coordinate operations.

CCSDS 502.0-B (Orbit Data Messages) · CCSDS 508.0-B (Conjunction Data Message)

Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Ground stations and downlink

Tracking antennas and modems for S, X and Ka-band downlink in Earth exploration-satellite allocations.

ITU Radio Regulations (EESS allocations, e.g. 8025-8400 MHz, 25.5-27 GHz) · ETSI EN 302 307-1 (DVB-S2) · CCSDS 131.0-B

Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Space link extension and station networking

Standard services that let a mission use stations operated by others.

CCSDS Space Link Extension (SLE) services

Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access

Direct broadcast and edge processing

Receiving and processing satellite data on site for minutes-latency products without a round trip to a central archive.

WMO Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet) · CGMS direct readout guidance

All 9 in this layer

05Compute and edge

Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box.

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

AI tower in a box

A site package that combines RAN, accelerated compute, storage, power, cooling and backhaul at a tower or remote site.

EN 50600 (data centre facilities and infrastructures) · ETSI EN 300 019 (environmental conditions for telecom equipment) · O-RAN WG6 Cloud Architecture and Deployment Scenarios

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

Prefabricated and containerised modules

Factory-built enclosures and container data centres shipped and commissioned at site.

ISO 668 (freight container dimensions) · EN 50600

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

Telecom and IT power systems

-48 V DC plants, UPS, batteries and generators sized for load and autonomy.

ETSI EN 300 132-2 (-48 V DC interface) · IEC 62040 (UPS)

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

Renewable and hybrid microgrids

Solar, wind and storage with generator backup for off-grid and weak-grid sites.

IEEE 1547 (DER interconnection) · IEC 62933 (electrical energy storage systems)

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

Physical security

Access control, intrusion detection and video for unattended sites.

EN 50600-2-5 (security systems)

Compute and edge · Modular edge data centres and the AI tower in a box

Fire detection and suppression

Early detection and clean-agent suppression suited to small, unattended IT spaces.

NFPA 75 (fire protection of IT equipment) · NFPA 2001 (clean agent systems)

All 8 in this layer

06Spectrum, timing and PNT

Spectrum monitoring and interference management.

Frontier · Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Distributed low-cost SDR sensor networks

Many inexpensive receivers at sites forming a continuous spectrum picture.

Rec. ITU-R SM.1880 · ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring

Frontier · Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Machine-learning signal classification

Models that recognise signal types and anomalies in monitoring data.

ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring

Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Fixed, transportable and mobile monitoring stations

Calibrated receivers and antennas that measure what is actually on air around a site or region.

ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring · Rec. ITU-R SM.1880 (spectrum occupancy measurement)

Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Spectrum occupancy measurement

Statistics of channel use over time that inform planning, sharing and licence applications.

Rec. ITU-R SM.1880

Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Emitter location (TDOA and angle of arrival)

Multi-sensor techniques that locate interference sources for resolution with the regulator.

ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring

Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management

Interference investigation and reporting

A documented process from detection to resolution, using international reporting formats where needed.

ITU RR Art. 15 · ITU RR Appendix 10 (harmful interference report)

All 8 in this layer

07Every domain

The rest of the spectrum.

The domains whose layers serve this industry, each with its full directory.

Layers · 8 · items · 62

5G and 6G radio access networks

The radio access network from site to spectrum: macro, small cells, DAS and repeaters, massive MIMO, NR bands and TDD synchronisation, NR features such as RedCap, positioning and sidelink, private and shared networks, Wi-Fi coexistence, 6G and ISAC, and the planning and assurance that keep it working.
Layers · 8 · items · 60

AI-RAN and Open RAN

Disaggregated, software-defined and AI-assisted radio access: the O-RAN architecture and its open interfaces, 7.2x fronthaul, RAN intelligent controllers with xApps and rApps, SMO and O-Cloud, accelerated L1, shared GPU infrastructure for RAN and AI, AI/ML in the 3GPP air interface, energy saving, and the test and integration work that makes multi-supplier RAN deployable.
Layers · 8 · items · 60

Core and transport networks

The networks behind the radio: the 5G core and its functions, slicing and edge breakout, IMS voice and emergency calling, fronthaul, midhaul and backhaul over microwave, E-band, fibre, free-space optics and satellite, IP/MPLS and segment routing, IPv6, automation and intent, and the security that holds it together.
Layers · 8 · items · 66

Satellite and space systems

The space segment end to end: orbits and constellations, spacecraft buses, communications and Earth observation payloads, inter-satellite links, tracking and command, space safety, launch, and the licensing and filings that let a system operate over a site.
Layers · 8 · items · 63

Ground segment

Everything on the ground that talks to spacecraft: gateways and teleports, user terminals, modems and software-defined radio, shared antenna networks, CCSDS protocol stacks, mission control, data processing and the spectrum coordination behind each earth station.
Layers · 7 · items · 59

Spectrum, timing and PNT

The shared foundations every network and sensor depends on: how spectrum is licensed, shared and monitored, GNSS positioning and its corrections, packet timing with PTP and SyncE, grandmasters and holdover, resilient PNT alternatives, and the detection of interference, jamming and spoofing.
Layers · 8 · items · 54

IoT, LPWAN and mesh

The radios, networks, gateways, device management and field protocols that connect low-power sensors and controllers to the grid, sized to a measured power budget.
Layers · 8 · items · 65

Compute and edge

Compute placed where data is produced and decisions are needed: the device, far, near and regional edge tiers, multi-access edge computing, modular edge data centres including the AI tower in a box, servers and accelerators, storage, power and cooling, ruggedisation, fleet orchestration, OTA and GitOps, and the hardware trust that makes remote sites safe to run.
Layers · 8 · items · 65

AI systems

AI from model to accountable operation: edge inference and model optimisation, foundation models for Earth observation and geospatial work, time-series and sensor AI, multimodal fusion and supervised agentic operations, federated and privacy-preserving learning, physical AI and robotics within stated red lines, MLOps, evaluation and model risk, and the governance frameworks that apply to each.
Layers · 8 · items · 66

Field operations and lifecycle

Everything that happens on the ground across a site’s life: survey, permits, design packs, logistics, installation, acceptance, training, operations, maintenance, upgrades, decommission and recycling, done safely and recorded as evidence.
Layers · 8 · items · 64

Power, energy and ruggedisation

How a remote site is powered, stored, distributed, cooled, sealed, tested, grounded, held up and kept safe, from a solar-powered sensor to a hybrid microgrid on a guyed mast.
Layers · 8 · items · 61

In situ sensors and instruments

Instruments placed in the air, water, ground and spectrum, from weather stations to seismometers, radars and cameras, with the calibration, metadata and quality control that make their readings evidence.
Layers · 8 · items · 67

Remote sensing and Earth observation

Every platform, sensor, processing level and ground-segment step that turns remote measurements of the Earth into calibrated, analysis-ready evidence for a site, a region or a network.
Layers · 8 · items · 65

GIS, maps and GeoAI

The reference frames, formats, services, analysis methods, machine learning and 3D models that turn observations into located, queryable and decision-ready geographic information.
Layers · 8 · items · 61

Security, identity and trust

How every node proves what it is and what it runs, how links and keys are protected, how software is traced to its source, how personal data is minimised, and how incidents are found and handled.

Bring us the site.

Survey, design, deployment and operation for telecom. The form names who receives your details.

Talk to usPlan a deployment

The systems behind telecom.

Reference design, drawn to scale · drag to turn