FREQUENTIS – 70 years of innovation for a safer world

Frequentis develops highly reliable communication and information solutions for safety-critical industries, with global requirements for safety and mobility as an integral part of their business. As a successful niche player, Frequentis is now a world market leader in the area of voice communication systems for air traffic management and in the field of aeronautical information management. Frequentis also leads the way in solutions for air defence, police, fire services, ambulance services; as well as for railways and shipping. More than 400 customers in 130 countries worldwide now rely on Frequentis.

A look back at a success story
Frequentis’ success story reads like it’s straight out of a storybook. Seemingly unaffected by the changing economic situation, Frequentis has grown from a small-scale Austrian company to an internationally successful group of companies with a leading market position. Commitment, know-how and an experienced, highly qualified staff of engineers and specialists ensure the company maintains a technical edge over its international competitors.

The rapid rise to market leader began in the early 1980s, when current CEO Hannes Bardach took control of the company. At that time, Frequentis employed 36 people and achieved a turnover of EUR 4 million (today there are about 1.600 employees and turnover is about EUR 250 million). Key factors for success in the early days included targeted specialisation in air traffic control and a well-planned leap across Austria’s borders into neighbouring markets.

From air traffic management to other safety-critical industries
In the 1990s, Frequentis was responsible for a crucial innovation in air traffic management, introducing fully digital voice communication systems. The company then went on to install the world’s first large-scale system of this kind for the European air traffic control organisation, EUROCONTROL, further enhancing its role as a technological innovator, which it still maintains to this day.

As early as 1997, management decided to establish a second pillar alongside Air Traffic Management (ATM). The idea was to transfer the long-term experience, internationally recognised products and unrivalled expertise of Frequentis’ engineers to the area of control centres. The seed for growth in the area of Public Safety and Transport (PST) had been planted. This business segment has seen extremely positive growth over the years and now significantly contributes to our overall turnover.

Frequentis captures global markets
Frequentis expanded outside of Austria in 1985, initially to Germany, before extensive internationalisation in the 1990s, beginning with Europe. In 1994, Frequentis looked to another continent and added Mexico to its areas of focus. Soon after, subsidiaries were also opened in additional continents – a process which still continues today. The company now operates a global network of subsidiaries, which are characterised by their high customer focus and represent an essential success factor for further market penetration.

Strong vision for a safer world
Frequentis is committed to its vision of becoming ‘number one in control centre solutions’. The corporate group’s portfolio of solutions is geared towards control centre solutions (control centres with safety-critical tasks). High innovation and technological focus are key factors along the path to becoming number one for these future-orientated control centres.

“Vision has always played an important role in the development of Frequentis,” states CEO and Frequentis owner Hannes Bardach. “Strong vision has always been and remains a source of innovative impetus for us – this is particularly important for us at the moment so that we can react quickly to the digital revolution and to changing customer requirements with new business models.”

One essential factor for success, however, is the special culture in terms of handling safety-critical processes which permeates the entire Frequentis group of companies. Seventy years of experience with projects in the safety-critical field have allowed us to amass a wealth of expertise and develop a profound understanding of customer requirements. Frequentis’ objective is to continue to apply this knowledge in global markets in future, wherever people or goods need to be safe and secure.