Roundtable 2 · 11:50–12:50
Sovereignty Beyond BordersBuilding trusted infrastructure in space
Satellites, ground stations and the links between them are now critical national infrastructure. This session asks what it takes to secure that layer — and how a country keeps control of it without cutting itself off from everyone else.
About the discussion
What this session is for
A satellite constellation is not only a communications asset. It is a dependency — for navigation, for emergency services, for payments, for the continuity of everything underneath them. Which makes the security of that layer a sovereignty question rather than a procurement one.
This session carries the first roundtable upward: the same roots of trust and the same post-quantum problem, now on hardware nobody can physically reach once it is in orbit.
Objective 01
Define the attack surface
Satellites, ground stations, user terminals and the links between them — and which of the four is actually the weakest.
Objective 02
Secure a device you cannot reach
Identity, key custody and software updates across a satellite lifetime, when physical access ends at launch.
Objective 03
Hold control without isolation
Where national control is non-negotiable, and where interoperability is worth more than autonomy.
Session information
Format and practical details
- Event
- Technology Sovereignty: From Trusted Chips to Secure Space
- Date
- 20 January 2027
- Time
- 11:50–12:50 (60 minutes)
- Venue
- Morosani Schweizerhof, Promenade 50, 7270 Davos
- Format
- 10 minutes of opening perspectives, 35 minutes of moderated discussion, 15 minutes of audience questions
- Moderator
- Carlos Creus Moreira, Founder, Chairman and CEO WISeKey
- Who should attend
- Satellite operators, space agencies, defense and telecommunications representatives, cybersecurity experts and infrastructure investors
Discussion themes
What the panel will discuss
These themes are a guide for the moderator, not a fixed running order. The session follows the room.
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01
Securing the whole chain, not only the satellite
Securing satellites, ground stations, terminals and the links connecting them.
Key questions
- Which link in that chain is attacked first in practice, and is it the one being defended?
- How much of the ground segment is treated as critical infrastructure today?
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02
Identity and updates across a satellite lifetime
Integrating post-quantum security, device identity and secure software updates throughout the satellite lifecycle.
Key questions
- How do you ship a cryptographic update to hardware nobody can physically reach again?
- What happens to a constellation whose keys were provisioned before post-quantum standards settled?
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03
Resilience for essential services
Strengthening communications resilience for governments, defense, industry and critical infrastructure.
Key questions
- Which services would stop first if the space layer were degraded for a week?
- What is a realistic fallback, and who is responsible for having built it?
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04
National control versus interoperability
Balancing national control with interoperability and international partnerships.
Key questions
- Where is sovereign control worth the cost of standing alone?
- What has to stay interoperable no matter who owns the constellation?
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05
Investment models for trusted space infrastructure
Establishing viable investment models for trusted space infrastructure.
Key questions
- What makes space infrastructure financeable rather than permanently subsidised?
- How do public anchor customers and private capital share the risk?
Central question
The question the session comes back to
How can satellite networks support technological autonomy, secure communications and continuity of essential services?
Everything above is a route into this one question.
Meet the panel
Moderator and panellists
Speakers are announced shortly
Would you like to propose a speaker for this session? Use the comment field in the invitation request.
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