Startup antenna specialist plans for 300 jobs in UK

Business news | October 24, 2023

By Peter Clarke

Analog Antenna Artificial Intelligence

Antenna startup Novocomms Ltd. (Birmingham, England) has announced plans for growth over the next five years with the potential to create 300 jobs in Birmingham.

The company’s growth plan includes restructuring with three subsidiary operating companies: Novocomms Wireless Antenna; Novocomms Mobile Satellite Solutions; and Novocomms Smart Cities. The first unit is chartered to to address consumer electronics. The second is intended to address automotive and defence satellite communications and the third to address urban connectivity.

Novocomms was founded in 2019 to deliver novel antenna designs based on UK research. The company specialises in small multifunction antenna systems and address such markets as 5G/6G, satellite systems and automotive antenna.With its roots in the research laboratories of the University of Birmingham, the company was founded by Sampson Hu who serves as CEO/CTO. Hu was previously the founder/CEO/CTO of Smart Antenna Technologies Ltd.

Novocomms’ Consumer Electronics business will continue to be led by Hu, who has 18 years’ experience in the field of antenna design. Backed up by consultant Peter Hall, IEEE fellow and emeritus professor with more than 40 years in antenna research.

Novocomms Mobile Satellite Solutions will also be led by Sampson Hu and supported by Peter Gardner, an emeritus professor with 35 years’ experience and also an IEEE fellow. This business specialises in the development and manufacture of millimeter-wave and high-performance mobile satellite antenna for the commercial, automotive, infrastructure and defence industries.

Smart cities

Johann Tse will lead Novocomms Smart Cities as CEO, who has corporate acquisition and growth experience with Aquarian Capital and NASDAQ-listed Broad Capital Acquisition Corporation.

Johann Tse said: “Our research points to a significant demand over the next five years for AI technologies that are integrated into IoT systems. Our experience of sophisticated antenna design, backed up by Novocomms‘ experience in satellite and 5G technology puts us in a prime position to develop and manufacture this type of product.”

Hu said: “We believe that through better design, we can reduce the bill of materials cost, reduce power consumption and also the weight of a next-generation series of mmWave and mobile satellite antennas. The industry is hungry for better performance technology that is also eco-friendly and we think we can fulfil that desire.”

Novocomms chairman Professor Colin Tucker said the company is in negotiation with a number of companies over the development of antennas to meet their applications.