New industry in Boden looks to space

Many who have passed by the Plug & Play area in Bodsvedjan may have wondered about the white dome on site. It is part of the establishment of a completely new industry in Boden: the space industry. Inside the dome is a rotating satellite dish owned by a South Korean company, attempting to connect with satellites in orbit.

The ground station can receive information from satellites and relay it to the company, which in turn can interpret the data and even influence satellite orbits. The technology also enables the use of various positioning services, such as those applied by transport companies.

The company behind the technology is US-based Assured Communications, which chose Boden for two main reasons.

“Opportunity to grow”

The first is the geographical location. The window for connecting with satellites is most favourable near the Arctic Circle. Satellite operators also seek to establish so-called geofences, with ground stations placed at the same latitude. For example, this company has one in Boden, one in the Middle East, and one in South Africa.

“We see opportunities to grow here and help more customers with similar solutions. We also see competence locally, as well as the proximity to a university that can provide both knowledge and talent,” says Joel Ogren, CEO of Assured Communications.

The second reason was the support from the municipality and Boden Business Agency. According to Ogren, this has been the smoothest establishment the company has carried out, despite the geographical challenges.

“It has felt like a big team effort—from managing land issues to securing the permits required to operate this station. We have always felt that Boden Business Agency has kept close contact and helped us reach the right people to move the process forward,” he says.

Ogren highlights the role of Bredåker Entreprenad AB, which was tasked with building the site.

“Without them, we wouldn’t be here today. They have been fantastic, helping to build the entire site. When we have been here with clients, they have also supported us with everything we needed. I have never experienced that kind of service from a company, and we will definitely use them for future projects in Boden.”

Looking ahead: more stations and collaboration

Assured Communications did not just present the facility during their visit—new customers are already in line. The existing site will be expanded with more receivers as early as next year, and the company is exploring additional sites in Boden for new stations.

Nils Lindh, Business Developer at Boden Business Agency, has been instrumental in making the establishment possible. He is curious to see what synergies it might generate.

“We are always trying to find solutions where companies can collaborate to develop their existing business. This is about information, and we also have data centres here in the Plug & Play area. Maybe there are synergies to be found there,” he says, adding:

“This is a completely new type of industry for us, which makes it especially exciting. But I believe we will see more new industries emerging in Boden in the near future.”