The Tenerife Island Council and ARQUIMEA will deploy a satellite communications teleport in Tenerife, co-financed by the European Union

The project, led by ITER and CanarySat, also foresees the deployment of a satellite constellation that will be operated from the Canary Islands in a later phase. 

December 11, 2025. The Tenerife Island Council, through the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER), and the technology company ARQUIMEA announce the construction of a satellite communications teleport, leveraging the island’s strategic geographic position and the synergies with its submarine connectivity. The teleport, co-financed with European Union funds, will be operated by CanarySat Teleport Services. 

The President of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, expressed her satisfaction with the development of a teleport in Tenerife: “This example of public–private collaboration between ARQUIMEA and the Tenerife Island Council allows us to boost the island’s economy. With this project, we will diversify Tenerife’s economic landscape, attract new investors, and advance an unprecedented strategy in the Canary Islands.” 

She added, ‘The construction of the teleport and the satellite control center represents a decisive step toward positioning Tenerife at the forefront of future communications.’ 

The development of the satellite communications teleport is a key component of the CanarySat project, which comprises two major elements: on the one hand, the construction and operation of this teleport in the Canary Islands, and on the other, the deployment of a communications satellite constellation.  

Antonio Abad, CEO of CanarySat, highlighted: “This project represents a major opportunity to transform the Canary Islands into a hub for secure, resilient and sovereign satellite communications that will meet a growing global demand.”  

From ARQUIMEA, Rubén Criado, General Manager of the New Technologies division and CEO of the research center, stated: “It is part of our identity to participate in the main technological projects being developed in Spain and to continue expanding our presence in the Canary Islands. Our track record of more than 20 years in the aerospace sector enables us to contribute with expertise and vision to high-impact initiatives such as this one.” 

For his part, the Councillor for Innovation, Research and Development, Juan José Martínez, explained that “the CanarySat project is expected to generate around 100 new highly qualified direct and indirect jobs, and it will attract high value-added companies seeking premium, real-time, low-latency connectivity, such as satellite operators, telemedicine companies, banking institutions or cybersecurity firms.” 

Martínez added: “Not only ARQUIMEA’s established presence in the Canary Islands, with a particularly strong footprint in Tenerife, but also the island’s unique physical connectivity conditions—such as the availability of the D-ALiX data center and extensive submarine connectivity through Canalink—and its fiscal advantages, including the possibility for private investors to make use of the Canary Islands Investment Reserve (RIC), have been decisive factors in proposing Tenerife as the location for this infrastructure.” 

 

Project Description 

The project includes the launch in Tenerife of a Teleport and a Satellite and Satellite Network Control and Operations Center for a new low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation currently being developed by ARQUIMEA. As a direct consequence, the creation of at least 100 direct jobs is expected, along with the establishment of a satellite communications antenna infrastructure and associated services that can support not only the CanarySat constellation, but also the operation of third-party satellites, such as the future constellation announced by the Island Council and the IAC to observe and protect the Archipelago from space. 

In this way, ARQUIMEA is driving the creation of a satellite control center that will be located at the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER), as well as a gateway or teleport that will be connected to Canalink, the neutral communications operator. This teleport will form part of the CanarySat project launched by ARQUIMEA, a Spanish technology company with a strong presence in the Canary Islands. 

 

Project Stages 

The project will be carried out in two phases. In the first stage, the construction of the teleport is planned, with works expected to begin in 2026 and operations scheduled to start in 2028. 

In the second stage, the construction, launch and commercialization of the capacity of ARQUIMEA’s own broadband communications satellite network will be undertaken. In this way, CanarySat will be able to offer global, secure and high-quality services by having in the islands the necessary infrastructure and capabilities for both the ground segment and the space segment. 

 

 

About CanarySat 

CanarySat is a Canary Islands–based company created to develop, manage and operate its own low-Earth orbit (LEO) telecommunications satellite constellation and a next-generation teleport with a control center in Tenerife. 

Its goal is to provide secure, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity services to operators, companies and public administrations, positioning the Canary Islands as a strategic space-communications hub between Europe, Africa and the Americas. CanarySat combines advanced technology, private investment and the competitive advantages of the archipelago to drive the new space economy from the islands. 

More information

 

About ARQUIMEA 

ARQUIMEA is a Spanish technology company that operates globally in the aerospace, defense, security and science sectors. It collaborates with international agencies, armed forces, and leading companies and research centers in the industry, delivering innovative and reliable solutions. 

The company has its own research and development center with more than one hundred specialists in technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum technologies, which it applies to the design and manufacture of cutting-edge products and systems.