Edgewater Wireless and AirMetal Robotics Partner to Advance High-Reliability Wireless for UAVs and Robotics

03 April 2026 | News

Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc. signs MOU with AirMetal Robotics to develop interference-resilient communication systems for drones, robotics, and defence applications.
Image Courtesy: Public Domain

Image Courtesy: Public Domain

Spectrum Slicing™ positioned to power interference-tolerant, high-reliability radios for UAV, robotics, defence and mission-critical markets

The MOU establishes a framework for the parties to evaluate collaboration opportunities in unmanned systems, robotics, defence, security, public safety, critical infrastructure and other applications where resilient wireless connectivity is increasingly mission-critical.

The initiative represents one of several emerging dual-use opportunities now under way as the Company broadens the commercial opportunities and target markets for its PrismIQ™ silicon and Spectrum Slicing™ architecture beyond traditional Wi-Fi markets and into high-value, next-generation communications platforms.

“AirMetal brings deep, real-world operational insight into how UAVs are deployed at scale - and where today’s RF links break down,” said Andrew Skafel, President & CEO of Edgewater Wireless. “This MOU creates a structured, commercially grounded path to explore next-generation, multi-channel communications designed for high-reliability performance - starting with disciplined NRE programs and moving toward scalable deployment.”

“We believe the combination of AirMetal’s platform and deployment insight with Edgewater’s Spectrum Slicing™ innovation creates a highly differentiated position in the market,” said Kevin Toderel, CEO, AirMetal Robotics. “Together, we have the potential to advance a new class of sovereign dual-use radios designed to perform where conventional wireless links fall short - particularly in targeted UAV, robotics, defence and critical infrastructure applications.”

Under the MOU, Edgewater and AirMetal will explore technical and commercial opportunities to integrate Edgewater’s interference-tolerant wireless technology into advanced dual-use platforms and communications systems.

The timing aligns with a significant expansion in Canadian federal support for domestic semiconductor, aerospace, autonomous systems and defence-related innovation. Recent federal initiatives, including new defence industrial programs, drone innovation initiatives and support for Canadian advanced technology development, are helping accelerate the market opportunity for sovereign, high-performance communications technologies. Edgewater believes these developments strengthen the long-term commercial backdrop for Canadian companies developing enabling technologies for dual-use and mission-critical applications.

Industry analysts continue to forecast strong growth for drones and the enabling communications stack. One estimate places the global drone market at approximately US$73.06B in 2024, projected to reach approximately US$163.60B by 2030 [1]. A separate market view values the drone communications segment at approximately US$3.6B in 2024, projected to reach approximately US$11.6B by 2030 [2], underscoring the scale of opportunity in the connectivity layer. 

The Company views the AirMetal MOU as strategically important for three reasons:

  1. Expands Edgewater’s addressable market into a rapidly growing, strategically relevant segment

  2. Reinforces the applicability of Spectrum Slicing™ in high-reliability environments, beyond conventional broadband deployments

  3. Supports Edgewater’s broader strategy to position its silicon and IP platform at the centre of next-generation wireless architectures for commercial, industrial and dual-use use cases

“This is about broadening Edgewater’s core silicon advantage into a new, emerging strategic market and is accretive to broader opportunity,” added Eric Smith, VP Product for Edgewater Wireless. “We are seeing growing interest in wireless systems that can maintain performance where conventional architectures begin to break down. That creates a compelling opportunity to extend our platform into dual-use programs and partnerships with meaningful long-term value.”

The MOU is non-binding and is intended to support evaluation of potential collaboration opportunities, including technical integration, product planning, commercial structures and customer engagement strategies. There can be no assurance that the MOU will lead to a definitive agreement, commercial deployment or revenue-generating relationship. However, management believes the MOU reflects accelerating interest in the Company’s technology in dual-use and other high-value wireless markets.

This announcement follows Edgewater’s broader efforts to expand its strategic reach into dual-use applications, reflecting increasing industry and customer recognition that interference resilience, deterministic performance and wireless reliability are becoming critical design requirements across a widening range of connected systems.

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