01
Focus area
Resilient connectivity and PNT at high latitudes
Communications and positioning that hold up above 70°N — and services that know when they cannot be trusted.
01.1
Why this matters in the Arctic
Geostationary satellites sit low on the horizon at high latitudes, and in parts of the Arctic they are below it. GNSS signals arrive through an ionosphere shaped by auroral activity, where scintillation and irregularities degrade accuracy and availability — often during the same space weather events that stress power grids and radio links.
The consequence is practical. Vessels, aircraft, remote installations, fish farms and emergency crews depend on connectivity and positioning that are least reliable exactly when conditions are hardest. Solutions validated at mid-latitudes cannot be assumed to hold here, and integrity information — knowing how good the position is right now — matters as much as accuracy itself.
We are looking for ideas that make Arctic connectivity and PNT dependable, measurable, or gracefully degradable, with a route to a commercial service.
01.2
Relevant technologies and data sources
Connectivity
LEO and MEO constellations, hybrid satellite–terrestrial networks, direct-to-device, mesh and store-and-forward links for low-bandwidth sensors, ground segment and antenna technology for polar passes.
Positioning, navigation and timing
Multi-constellation GNSS, Galileo and EGNOS, augmentation and integrity monitoring, LEO-PNT, inertial and sensor fusion, signals of opportunity, resilient timing for critical infrastructure.
Space weather and the ionosphere
Scintillation modelling and now-casting, TEC products, ionosonde and incoherent scatter radar data, auroral activity indices, service-level warnings derived from them.
Interference and spectrum
Jamming and spoofing detection, RF interference monitoring and geolocation, spectrum situational awareness for maritime and aviation users in the North.
01.3
Partner expertise available to you
Selected teams get access to partner expertise, data and facilities alongside seed funding and business coaching.
Partner
UiT — The Arctic University of Norway
Space physics and ionospheric research, high-latitude radar and observatory data, students and PhD capacity.
Partner
NORCE
Communication systems, signal processing and applied research on sensor networks in remote environments.
Partner
KSAT
Ground station operations at high latitude, polar pass scheduling, and operational service delivery.
01.4
Your contact for this area
Contact person to be confirmed
Area lead from UiT — The Arctic University of Norway. Until the name is published, write to the Arctic Phi-Lab and we will route your question.
Ready to outline this idea?
One or two pages is enough to start the conversation.