Barcelona, 25th February 2026. The i2CAT research centre returns to MWC Barcelona 2026 to present 6GStarLab’s catalogue of advanced services and experiments. 6GStarLab is the first European 6G research satellite in low Earth orbit, and it will be available to small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporations, and research organisations to test cutting-edge technologies and to lead the next generation of connectivity without relying on external technologies.
Local research to achieve technological sovereignty
The 6GStarLab is not only a technological milestone, but also an open laboratory designed to democratise access to space. It was manufactured, integrated, and validated entirely in Catalonia. The satellite has a flexible payload that allows its functions to be reconfigured remotely from Earth. Thanks to this reprogramming capability, the satellite’s functions can be adapted in orbit, offering a level of versatility not found in traditional fixed-function satellites.
During MWC, visitors to the i2CAT stand will be able to see first-hand the validation capabilities offered by the laboratory in orbit through a comprehensive catalogue of experiments in a real environment. These tests range from validating 6G nodes in the Ku/Ka bands to ensure connectivity in critical infrastructure to using optical transmitters for bidirectional laser communications, a key technology for future quantum cybersecurity. The centre will also test the capabilities of Edge Computing for network orchestration in space and present the possibilities of multifunctional satellite use, enabling the simultaneous execution of detection, communication, and positioning services in a single intelligent node.
According to Joan Francesc Muñoz, director of the Space Communications research group at i2CAT, “thanks to its versatility and open access to the research and technology community, 6GStarLab guarantees a sovereign technological development model, as having our own infrastructure allows us to move from being passive users of foreign technology to controlling it from start to finish.”
Móra la Nova ground station, a key piece
The mission will feature a ground-based optical station in Móra la Nova, financed by Nuclear Transition Funds. This infrastructure will control the 6GStarLab experiments and will include pioneering quantum communications technology, K-band satellite dishes, NB-IoT user terminals, and UHF-band IoT antennas.
This station is pioneering because there are few equivalents in Europe, and, furthermore, it is a private or government-access model with very limited access policies due to high demand.
The aim of 6GStarLab is to serve as a testbed for future quantum communications. To this end, the optical transmitter at the Móra la Nova station will communicate with the optical receiver at 6GStarLab to verify the efficiency of space-Earth-space laser communications in different scenarios. At the ground station, a series of specialised components will characterise turbulence, cloud cover, pollution, and other parameters to map both the atmosphere and the optical link, and to develop a model. Using this model, the i2CAT quantum communications laboratory, located at the centre’s new corporate headquarters at Pier01 in Barcelona, will be able to simulate the atmosphere and design the necessary protocols to exchange space-to-ground quantum keys in the most efficient way possible.
6GStarLab is part of the UNICO I+D 6G programme, promoted by the Government of Spain within the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia, and funded by NextGenerationEU. It follows the European Space Agency’s (ESA) 6G roadmap.
March 31, 2026
March 26, 2026
March 19, 2026
