Novocomms, the UK-headquartered wireless antenna specialist, has announced ambitious growth plans for the next five years, including the establishment of three manufacturing divisions, with the potential to create up to 300 new jobs in Birmingham.

Operating under a new group structure (Novocomms Group), the three new businesses, Novocomms Wireless Antenna, Novocomms Mobile Satellite Solutions and Novocomms Smart Cities, will provide leading-edge antenna design and manufacturing solutions to the consumer electronics, commercial & defence satellite, and urban connectivity markets respectively.

Three new operating companies

Novocomms’ Consumer Electronics business will continue to be led by Sampson Hu, who has 18 years of experience in the field of smart antenna design. Backed up by consultant Peter Hall, IEEE fellow and emeritus professor with more than 40 years in antenna research, this business will build on the existing technology leadership position the company has established over the last four years.

Novocomms Mobile Satellite Solutions will also be led by Sampson Hu and supported by Peter Gardner, an emeritus professor with 35 years of experience and also an IEEE fellow. This business specialises in the development and manufacture of mmWave and high-performance mobile satellite antenna for the commercial, automotive, infrastructure and defence industries.

Finally, Novocomms Smart Cities will be led by founder and CEO Johann Tse, who has unrivalled corporate acquisition and growth experience with Aquarian Capital and NASDAQ-listed Broad Capital Acquisition Corporation. The business plans to take a dominant position in this fast-expanding global market by developing new technology ecosystems and AIoT solutions. Johann Tse said: “Our research points to a significant demand over the next five years for AI technologies that are integrated into IoT systems. Our experience of sophisticated antenna design, backed up by Novocomms’ experience in satellite and 5G technology, puts us in a prime position to develop and manufacture this type of product.”

CEO, CTO and founder of Novocomms Group Sampson Hu said: “We believe that through better design, we can reduce the bill of materials cost, reduce power consumption and also the weight of a next-generation series of mmWave and mobile satellite antennas. The industry is hungry for better performance technology that is also eco-friendly and we think we can fulfil that desire.”

Founded by Birmingham University alumni Sampson Hu, Novocomms was established in 2019 to pioneer innovative smart antenna design and manufacturing from its base in Birmingham.

Novocomms chairman Professor Colin Tucker is excited about the growth potential for the newly structured business. He said: “As a former director and CEO of Hutchison 3G and one of the three founding directors of Orange plc, I’ve seen how UK companies can dominate specific niches within electronics and communications. Novocomms, in my opinion, is one such company that has the people, the vision and the know-how to become the dominant force in antenna design and manufacture in the consumer electronics, mobile satellite and smart city sectors.”

Future partnerships

Another major element of the company’s growth strategy lies in strategic partnerships with major electronic brands. Colin Tucker continued: “Our reputation for innovation within the dynamic antenna development market is well established – and we want to take that knowledge out into the market to major brands who are seeking like-minded partners. We’ve got some of the best brains in antenna design and global sourcing and are already negotiating with several household manufacturers.”

British design / global sourcing

From its UK base, Novocomms can leverage a proven global sourcing production infrastructure, which is able to satisfy brands’ worldwide manufacturing requirements. “We really do offer the best of both worlds for customers in the sub-6GHz consumer market, mmWave and mobile satellite fields and smart city sectors. Our UK-based R&D and design capability combined with our proven, global sourcing strategy is unique in the market and gives electronics manufacturers ‘best-in-class’ antenna solutions at much lower cost than they usually expect.”

Novocomm Group’s growth plans were announced by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street at Birmingham’s Tech Week event on October 18, 2023. Speaking at the event, which also highlighted investments by a number of other regionally based businesses, he said: “These exciting investments reinforce the region’s status as a destination of choice for ambitious companies, across a range of sectors, set on nurturing innovation and accelerating their growth. These significant investments from Version 1, Petalite, Novocomms Group and Primacy exemplify the West Midlands’ potential to spearhead the Government’s “science and technology superpower” ambitions while creating skilled jobs to help to level up the UK economy.”