- Cailabs launches Optical Ground Station-as-a-Service, or OGSaaS by Cailabs, to provide access to optical ground communications through a shared service infrastructure.
- Satellite operators will be able to benefit from optical communications without investing in a complete ground station network or developing specific expertise in-house.
- Cailabs plans to deploy an initial international network of approximately 15 optical ground stations, including at least four sites in the United States.
- The service will rely on Cailabs stations as well as stations operated by partners, while ground segment service providers will also be able to offer OGSaaS capabilities to their own customers.
- This launch is supported by Cailabs’ selection for the EIC STEP Scale Up investment program.
Cailabs, an international deep-tech company and global leader in advanced photonics, is launching Optical Ground Station-as-a-Service (OGSaaS by Cailabs), a new offering designed to make space-to-ground optical communications accessible through a shared infrastructure.
As satellites generate ever-increasing volumes of data, the ground segment is becoming a critical bottleneck. Radio-frequency links remain essential, but they face capacity limitations as well as growing spectrum congestion. Optical communications can achieve significantly higher data rates without requiring radio-frequency spectrum licenses, while the very low divergence of their beams makes them more difficult to intercept or jam. However, deploying, operating and maintaining a dedicated network of optical ground stations requires highly specialized expertise, as well as significant investment.
OGSaaS by Cailabs will enable satellite operators to access optical communications without having to deploy a complete ground station network or develop specialized expertise in-house. Capabilities will be accessible directly through Cailabs or through established ground segment service providers, as part of service offerings, dedicated infrastructure or hybrid models.
This offering marks a shift from a model based on individual optical ground stations to an integrated service infrastructure. Cailabs will invest in and operate optical ground capabilities, leveraging its own deployments as well as selected partner stations and sites and shared infrastructure. This approach will enable customers to adopt space-to-ground optical communications without bearing the costs and complexity associated with building a complete network, while complementing existing ground segment infrastructure, including radio-frequency teleport facilities.
Cailabs is bringing together partners covering the entire optical ground segment ecosystem to explore the development and large-scale deployment of OGSaaS by Cailabs. The company is assessing demand for high-capacity optical services among satellite operators such as Kepler Communications and Endurosat, as well as deployment, colocation, distribution and resale models with ground segment and infrastructure service providers such as Leaf Space, RBC Signals, Contec and Skynopy.
Together, these partnerships aim to make optical capabilities accessible both through Cailabs and through the existing service offerings of its partners, enabling their customers to access high-capacity optical communications without having to deploy or operate their own dedicated optical ground station infrastructure.
Cailabs plans to deploy an initial international OGSaaS network comprising approximately 15 optical ground stations, including at least four sites in the United States. Locations are being selected based on customer requirements, weather diversity, geographic coverage and available partner infrastructure. Initial use cases will target missions generating large volumes of data, such as Earth observation, satellite telecommunications, as well as defense and sovereign applications. The infrastructure is designed to meet future needs requiring frequent, secure and very high-speed data transfers between space and ground.
OGSaaS by Cailabs will rely on existing stations, partner stations and new deployments. Cailabs has already deployed six operational optical ground stations, including in Rennes, France, in the Perth region of Australia, on Jeju Island in South Korea and at three sites in Greece. More than ten additional stations are currently under contract.
Several existing stations and partner infrastructures are expected to form the first layer of the OGSaaS by Cailabs network, while this international presence demonstrates Cailabs’ ability to design, deploy and operate optical ground stations across a variety of geographic areas and customer environments.
The company has also built strong experience in providing optical communications services through several contracts, notably with SES and the Space Development Agency (SDA). These references demonstrate Cailabs’ ability to provide optical communications as a service, while OGSaaS by Cailabs extends this expertise to a broader, multi-site infrastructure model.
Since November 2024, Cailabs has repeatedly established bidirectional optical links with terminals compliant with Space Development Agency (SDA) standards. The company conducted operations routinely throughout 2025. Cailabs’ optical ground station in Rennes currently performs up to ten satellite passes per day, demonstrating its ability to maintain recurring operations.
Cailabs provides its stations as turnkey systems, integrating all the equipment, software and operational services required for their operation, including its patented atmospheric turbulence compensation technology.
Cailabs has been selected to receive an investment under the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) STEP Scale Up program. This investment will contribute to financing the launch of OGSaaS by Cailabs as well as the deployment of the first phase of the network.
Jean-François Morizur, CEO of Cailabs, said:
‘Optical communications are ready to move beyond individual deployments. With OGSaaS by Cailabs, customers will no longer need to become optical communications experts to benefit from this technology. They will be able to access optical communication capabilities as a service, combine them with their own infrastructure or deploy dedicated stations when necessary.’
‘Cailabs is investing in the infrastructure and operational capabilities needed to make this possible. By working with established ground segment players, we can accelerate service deployment and make optical communication capabilities accessible through providers and contractual models already used by satellite operators.’
OGSaaS by Cailabs does not replace the need for dedicated optical ground stations. It provides a new model for accessing optical communications. Satellite operators, defense players and sovereign organizations, as well as ground segment partners, will be able to combine service access, dedicated infrastructure or hybrid models according to their needs.
With OGSaaS by Cailabs, space-to-ground optical communications are entering a new phase, moving from isolated deployments to an international infrastructure accessible to a wide range of operators and missions.
About Cailabs
Cailabs is an industrial company specializing in laser communications, building the ground systems required to deploy optical links at scale. Founded in 2013, with operations in France and the United States, Cailabs designs, manufactures and deploys optical systems for space-to-ground and ground-to-ground links. Its solutions combine atmospheric turbulence compensation, industrial production capabilities and operational support for the space, defense and critical network sectors.
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