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CSA Catapult joins JOINER Network to convert research into sovereign capability for AI-driven and quantum-secure telecoms applications

Date: 02.02.2026

Topics: AI, Future telecoms

Seven people smile together in a modern, brightly lit workspace with lab equipment and an E logo visible. - CSA Catapult
Abstract digital illustration of data streams converging, symbolizing machine learning and the power of e in data analysis. - CSA Catapult

Having received £16m funding from the EPSRC Future Communications Platforms and other Future Networks R&D initiatives such as DSIT and Innovate UK, the University of Bristol have led the design of a heterogeneous, multi-site architecture platform that can pull huge amounts of complex data to test deployment in real-world environments.  

The JOINER network speeds up prototyping and commercialisation and enables the telecoms ecosystem to collaborate on key challenges like energy consumption, data sharing, and storage across jurisdictions. 

 

Through an open private, optical fibre network users can access expertise from more than 15 labs from the UK and beyond, to frame experiments and utilise capabilities in hybrid cloud, AI-ready edge computing, spectrum experimentation, non-terrestrial (NTN) emulators, and secure networking. The infrastructure is already being used to develop decentralised, multi-party network AI, apps and tools that work, end-to-end, across networks. 

For CSA Catapult, JOINER bridges the gap between semiconductor innovation and deployable network infrastructure, allowing hardware to be tested as part of a real system at scale, not just in isolation. 

Connecting to the network, the Catapult will send and receive signals from collaborators across the UK, testing designs under real-life conditions that help understand how signals perform over long distance, while subjected to noise and environmental disturbance. JOINER will help the Catapult demonstrate the commercial readiness of advanced semiconductor hardware for AI and quantum applications by assessing the performance and reliability of secure telecoms networks at scale.  

 

Close-up of glowing fiber optic strands in blue and purple hues, with circular light bokeh in the background. - CSA Catapult

This new capability will drive technical breakthroughs in CSA Catapult and Bristol University’s cutting-edge research, as they develop semiconductor hardware modules with optical switching and filtering capability. The modules aim to support AI workloads by demonstrating fast switching with low energy consumption, and the co-propagation of classical and quantum channels, which will unlock applications for the next generation of telecoms. 

“The platform gives us a unique opportunity to take advanced semiconductor hardware out of the lab and validate it inside a live, multi-site network at scale. That is a critical step in turning great research into technologies that industry can deploy. It’s how we turn world class research into sovereign capability: hardware that is designed, tested and proven in the UK, ready for AI-native and quantum-secure networks.” 

“By connecting into this infrastructure, we can show how new optical, RF and quantum-ready devices perform under real network conditions – helping UK companies to move more quickly from innovation to viable products.” 

Nick Singh, chief technology officer at CSA Catapult

“We are thrilled to be partnering with CSA Catapult and look forward to bridging the gap between semiconductor innovation and their role in delivering the agile, resilient and secure networks of the future.  

“The JOINER Platform strengthens the UK telco ecosystem by putting UK born technologies and their exploitation at the heart of the project. It also provides a unique opportunity to encourage the adoption of innovation into markets both nationally and internationally, therefore directly supporting the UK to maintain its place as a leader in future digital infrastructure.” 

Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, director at JOINER

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