RE: Filtronic in The Telegraph9 Mar 2026 10:39
Which provides satellite internet to 10 million customers as well as Ukraine’s front lines and the world’s airlines.
Mobile operator O2 started providing mobile signals through Starlink last week in areas where traditional networks do not reach.
Edington says he has not had the pleasure of meeting Musk, although SpaceX certainly seems like a satisfied customer.
David Finlay, the company’s senior director of finance, flew in from California to attend the opening ceremony of Filtronic’s new Sedgefield factory to laud the company’s “world-class engineering”.
Filtronic's Nat Edington and SpaceX's David Finlay
Filtronic’s Nat Edington (left) and SpaceX’s David Finlay attended the new facility’s opening Credit: Simon Dewhurst
SpaceX placed a major order last August for the next generation of Filtronic’s amplifiers, which will more than double power output to allow better connections to Starlink satellites.
Edington says SpaceX is a demanding customer – but it has transformed Filtronic, whose market value has climbed from £20m five years ago to £434m today. That would put it within touching distance of the FTSE 250 were it not listed on London’s junior Alternative Investment Market.
The reliance on a single customer, especially one with such a mercurial chief executive, could be seen as a downside – especially since SpaceX accounted for 83pc of Filtronic’s revenue last year.
Edington, an electronics industry veteran who joined the company two years ago, is all too familiar with what this can lead to.
He previously worked at Wolfson Microelectronics, the Scottish chip designer whose audio components were used in the iPod before Apple dumped the company in 2008, sending it into crisis and ultimately a sale.
SpaceX is a little less volatile than some of Musk’s other operations and Edington says the companies work closely enough that “we are regarded as an extension of their engineering team” – but it has made diversifying a priority.
‘We should be spending more on defence’
The US giant has proven to be a springboard for signing deals with other satellite operators including Eutelsat OneWeb and Viasat, which are hoping to challenge Starlink, as well as defence companies BAE Systems and Leonardo.
The company’s defence equipment is used in radar and electronic detection systems, which are expected to become increasingly crucial in an age of drone warfare. Filtronic’s manufacturing site includes a secure cell protected by surveillance, special locks and reinforced walls. Entry requires security clearance.
Edington is frustrated at the slow pace of spending decisions in the industry, however, in contrast with the fast-moving nature of its key customer.
An example of this was on display last week when it emerged that Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, had refused to sign off on a £1bn military helicopter deal with Leonardo before she reversed the decision.
“Of course we should be spending more on defence,” Edington says.
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