Whenever the fire service receives an emergency call which is passed on from the control centre to the firefighters on site, and when pilots are in contact with air traffic control, in more than 50 countries worldwide the communications are handled using equipment from Frequentis.
Vienna-based Frequentis AG has been a global market leader in safety-critical communication networks for aviation, shipping, public transport, public safety and defence for many years. “If you’ve travelled on an airplane, a ship, or a train, it’s overwhelmingly likely that you’ve already come into contact with one of our systems without even realising it,” says Norbert Haslacher, CEO of Frequentis AG.
The high-tech company’s latest coup: In 2023, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commissioned Frequentis to implement the air-to-ground protocol converter system for the U.S. National Airspace System, which supports over one billion passengers per year. As a result, Frequentis’ incoming orders increased by almost 25% to 505 million euros.
12 percent for research and development
This hidden champion employs over 2,200 people worldwide. Its recipe for success is consistent research and development. “Frequentis is an innovator,” emphasises Norbert Haslacher. “We invest around 12 percent of revenue (2023: EUR 427.5 million) in R&D to make our software and applications more innovative for users.”
“Basically, we are researching how new IT can be used in safety-critical areas,” explains Günter Graf, Vice President of New Business Development. “How can emergency services communicate with each other, and how can they reliably exchange data, information and audio? And how can you use modern technology to secure these communications against attacks?”
The varied aspects of cooperation with the FFG
Frequentis has been involved in numerous national and international FFG funding programmes over many years. In 2002, for example, Frequentis became the first Austrian company to coordinate an aviation research project within an EU funding programme, and in the EU research framework programme Horizon 2020, it led a European consortium in a broad-based project for the cross-border cooperation between security and emergency forces.
“The FFG helps us to set up funding projects correctly and to implement them in accordance with EU rules.”
The Frequentis VP notes the varied aspects of the company’s cooperation with the FFG. These include international projects for which the FFG is the national contact point, as well as through (inter)national research and business networks in the innovation scene which are established and managed by the FFG. And lastly, through the FFG’s General Programme, a main pillar of Austrian R&D funding. “As a technology company, the General Programme has been a huge support over the years, allowing us to stay at the forefront and remain globally competitive,” Günter Graf says in conclusion.