GMV reaffirms its commitment to technological innovation at the Digital Economy and Telecommunications Forum

GMV has renewed its commitment to innovation by taking part in the latest edition of one of Spain’s leading gatherings for the digital industry, the Digital Economy and Telecommunications Forum, which is organized by the industry association AMETIC. This edition of the event was held from September 1st to 3rd in the Spanish city of Santander, under the theme “Digitalization, Competitiveness, and Social Impact: The big equation”. The forum brought together representatives from public-sector agencies, private-sector companies, and universities, along with members of the general public, to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from the process of digital transformation.

Javier Zubieta, GMV’s Manager of Marketing and Communications for Secure e-Solutions, participated in a roundtable discussion held on September 2nd, entitled “The defense industry and technology”. Mr. Zubieta addressed the concept of dual-use technology, with an emphasis on how technological developments taking place in the military sphere can also have civilian applications, and vice-versa. He stressed the value of the two-way exchanges that GMV has been able to observe over the course of its 40+ years of existence.

During his presentation, he discussed examples of these technologies such as encryption and the new types of computing developed in the context of the space race, and he explained how GMV has played a pioneering role in the transfer of advances such as satellite navigation into the transportation industry. He also pointed out that reusing technological solutions in a variety of industries is essential for optimizing resources and accelerating innovation, especially in fields that are already well developed such as AI and cloud computing.

Mr. Zubieta outlined three specific cases of dual-use technologies developed by GMV:

1. Cybersecurity for 5G communications: La experiencia en SOCs aplicados al ámbito civil ha permitido extender esta capacidad a entornos críticos como las infraestructuras 5G y la gestión de emergencias.

2. Resilience as a culture: En el marco de la protección de infraestructuras críticas, GMV está en disposición de aplicar metodologías de ciberresiliencia desarrolladas en el entorno civil al ámbito de la seguridad nacional, alineándose con directivas europeas como NIS 2 y la futura legislación CERT.

3. Remote services in defense: Remote service solutions developed by GMV for civilian applications have been implemented in environments with difficult access, making them ideal for military and humanitarian missions. The relevance of services like these is also demonstrated by the €72 million in investment included in the 2025 extraordinary investment plan developed by the Spanish Ministry of Defense.

With regard to strategic capabilities, Mr. Zubieta emphasized GMV’s global presence in key areas such as satellite navigation (Galileo), communications (IRIS²), and Earth observation (Copernicus), always with a European outlook. He also mentioned the work being performed on emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing applied to cybersecurity.

In addition, GMV has become a leading company in terms of driving technological innovation in Spain and Europe. The company is currently coordinating three industry-specific security operations centers (SOCs) as part of the Public Procurement of Innovation (CPI) program developed by Spain’s National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), with those centers focused on the space, industrial production, and transportation industries, while also making progress with the use of AI for secure quantum key distribution (QKD). At the European level, GMV is leading two projects under contracts recently awarded by the European Defence Fund (EDF), while participating in four others. The company is also collaborating on European initiatives such as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and European Foundation for Cooperation and Science (EFCAS), and collaborating with the European Defence Agency (EDA).