Fincantieri and WSense join forces on underwater communications

Fincantieri and WSense, a deep tech company specializing in underwater monitoring and communication systems, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to start collaboration in the Underwater Internet of Things (UIoT) sector.

The companies will assess potential forms of cooperation in several areas, including adaptive underwater communications and the related multimodal network.

They will also work on the development of solutions for measuring the relative positioning of unmanned surface and underwater vessels and of cloud solutions within the defense sector, building on WSense’s existing experience in civilian applications and also considering the involvement of other specialized operators.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, said: “This Memorandum confirms Fincantieri’s role as one of the main catalysts in the underwater industry, a domain with a potential business volume of 400 billion euros. The Group, which has been building submarines for the Italian Navy for over 100 years, aims to lead the technological development of this new geopolitical domain, which has significant strategic importance, as also evidenced by the recent inauguration of the National Underwater Hub (Polo Nazionale della Dimensione Subacquea). We are therefore delighted to begin this collaboration with one of the major excellences in the Italian supply chain.”

“This agreement with Fincantieri” -stressed Chiara Petrioli, WSense’s CEO- “is significant in two respects. On one hand it confirms our technological leadership in the field of submarine wireless telecommunications. On the other hand, it positions WSense as a player at the center of the Italian ecosystem of excellence for monitoring and control systems in the underwater domain.”

“There is a significant potential related to the Blue Economy, particularly in the critical infrastructure protection sector. In this field, with the National Underwater Dimension Pole, Italy has given substance to its strategic vision. WSense’s solutions and technological development capacity, together with the willingness of major players like Fincantieri to foster an ecosystem, can really bring our Country and Europe to the frontier of innovation and international leadership in the Internet of the Seas,” Petrioli concluded.