Inter-Continental Area Network (ICAN)

In high-frequency trading, milliseconds can separate profit from a missed opportunity, yet intercontinental trades are still bound by the physics of fibre, where light travels about a third slower than through air or vacuum. Nanocraft, a Latvian space-tech start-up, is developing ultra-low-latency intercontinental links for financial trading by combining bandwidth from satellite constellations with skywave radio, aiming for the shortest possible data path between global financial markets. Rather than competing with general-purpose networks on coverage and capacity, Nanocraft’s approach is built around a narrow, high-value use case where speed, predictable routing and route-specific performance matter most. With early market interest from Gravity Team and support from ESA BIC and ERDF co-funding, the project is currently in concept validation at the ESA BIC Latvia incubator.