125 people. 41 countries. 53 companies. And countless conversations that could never have been put on the official program.

At RACOM, we spend our working lives developing technology that allows people and machines to communicate reliably over great distances. Yet every four years, we ask our partners and customers to do exactly the opposite: get on a plane, train or into a car and come together in one place.

Some travelled across Europe. Others crossed continents to join us in Czechia.

We wanted to make it worth the trip.

The theme of the RACOM Partner Conference 2026 was Security in Wireless Critical Communication – explored through regulation, real-world attacks, operational failures, resilience and technology.

And we deliberately looked beyond RACOM.

Cybersecurity law expert Václav Stupka tackled the rapidly changing regulatory landscape. OT security specialist Omar Morando showed how attackers think and operate inside industrial environments. Dr. Frank Stummer brought real cases of industrial disruption, while our own Martin Vystrčil showed how to securely use AI to enable next-level capabilities in our products through Scripting feature.

Together with RACOM’s own engineers and product specialists, they approached security from very different directions – from legislation and attack to product design, network operation and resilience.

There were no simple answers. Which was precisely the point.

The first conference day took place at Mělník Chateau, overlooking the confluence of the Elbe and Vltava rivers. After the talks, our guests explored the chateau, historic wine cellars, medieval underground passages, ossuary and church tower before moving to Liblice Chateau for the Gala Dinner.

There were touching moments, including a surprise cake. Unforgettable ones, like a historical fencing show. And countless conversations over coffee, wine and dinner that could never have appeared on the official programme.

The following day, smaller workshops gave participants an opportunity to go deeper into RACOM technologies, discuss individual projects and share experience from networks operating around the world.

For many guests, the program started a day earlier. During the RACOM Tour, they visited our headquarters in Nové Město na Moravě and our SMT production centre in Blansko, getting a behind-the-scenes look at how our products are developed, manufactured and tested. A small exhibition of production tools and technologies from the 1990s offered a glimpse into RACOM’s early days. And for those who wanted to make the most of their visit, we also organised dedicated product training after the conference.

Looking back, presentations, workshops and venues were only part of what made these days special.

It was seeing old friends meet again after years apart. Watching people who had never met become absorbed in conversation. Hearing experiences from completely different parts of the world – and discovering how many challenges they had in common.

Critical communication networks are built from radios, routers, software and infrastructure. But resilience also depends on people who know and trust each other when something goes wrong.

Thank you to all 125 participants from 41 countries who came to Czechia to spend these days with us.

Technology gives us remarkable ways to communicate across continents. But every once in a while, it is worth travelling those continents to sit around the same table.

Thank you for making the trip.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of almost every industry, and RACOM is no exception. We have been using AI for several years, and today it is hard to imagine many of our activities without it. It helps us speed up development, work more efficiently and do things that would have been very difficult or extremely expensive just a few years ago. But AI also has its downsides.

Today, we use more than 25 AI models across almost all departments. We see the greatest benefits in software development and testing, where AI helps with routine coding, testing new releases and more complex development tasks. In some areas, AI now supports more than half of the work.

We also use AI for invoice processing and first-level technical support. In marketing, it helps us review texts, create different language versions, produce videos and generate voice-overs in various languages.

AI allows us to spend more time on activities where our people add the most value. People, however, remain at the heart of RACOM – we continue to actively recruit new colleagues in 2026, while personal technical support and direct contact with our customers remain a matter of course.

When using AI, we place strong emphasis on cybersecurity, protecting our intellectual property and handling data securely. Our approach also includes separate physical infrastructure and systematic security management, supported by ISO 27001 and IEC 62443-4-1 certifications.

The rapid development of AI is significantly increasing demand for electronic components used in data centres and AI infrastructure. The entire electronics industry is feeling the impact. Some components, particularly memory chips, are in short supply, with prices rising by tens of percent and lead times increasing significantly. Even confirmed orders are being cancelled or postponed by many months, sometimes by more than a year. We are seeing a similar situation with printed circuit boards.

AI is also accelerating the development of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. As a result, modern, reliable and secure communication solutions are becoming increasingly important for critical infrastructure operators. Secure data transmission in critical applications has been RACOM’s core business for many years.

The current situation reminds us of the component supply crisis in 2022 during the COVID period. The experience we gained then helps us respond proactively today.

We are significantly increasing our stocks of critical components and purchasing them well in advance. We have increased the value of key materials held in stock by approximately 50%. Even high inventory levels, however, are no absolute guarantee – a single missing component can stop production.

At the same time, we are expanding our in-house manufacturing capabilities and increasing our self-sufficiency. We are investing in new technologies and planning a facility extension at our SMT centre in Blansko. We are also adding new CNC machines to our mechanical workshop.

AI helps us speed up development, improve the quality of our products and work more efficiently. At the same time, however, it is bringing changes to the component market and creating new security challenges.

Our priority remains the same: to increase the value we deliver to our customers, ensure the availability of our products, and deliver them within reasonable lead times at fair prices.

We are doing everything we can to absorb rising costs. With our experience, forward purchasing, in-house manufacturing capabilities and, above all, the work of our people, we aim to manage these changes with minimal impact on our customers.

In June, we were surprised by a phone call from the Office of the President of the Czech Republic, asking whether President Petr Pavel could come and visit us. Of course, we said yes. At the same time, we wondered what might bring the President to visit an “insignificant company” from the Vysočina Region, especially outside his official visits to the regions of the Czech Republic.

One of the reasons is probably that we are a Czech-owned company that has been developing and manufacturing wireless data communication equipment for 35 years. Today, our products operate in more than 140 countries worldwide, predominantly in critical infrastructure – in energy, water management, transportation, and oil & gas. We still keep all our development and manufacturing in our own hands, right here in the Czech Republic, Europe.

This year, we have also entered the defence sector, where our technologies are finding applications in, among other things, communication systems for unmanned vehicles.

We are pleased that our long-standing commitment to doing things properly has attracted attention even at Prague Castle.

Source: Česká televize

The President and his wife spent the entire morning at RACOM and took a keen interest in how the company works. How we manage to attract talented people to development and manufacturing despite being based in a small town in the Vysočina Region. Why we have very low employee turnover, and how we manage to succeed in global markets while competing with much larger international companies.

The President and his delegation toured practically the entire company, taking a close look at our individual workplaces, development, manufacturing, and products.

The tour was followed by a short press briefing, during which the President answered questions from the accompanying journalists, including a crew from Czech Television.

In his answers, he highlighted the importance of companies such as RACOM for both the Czech Republic and the European Union. He was also impressed by RACOM’s story – how the enthusiasm and hard work of its founders gradually spread to other employees and helped build a successful company with a global reach.

In today’s unstable world, he stressed the importance of maintaining the greatest possible degree of self-sufficiency and independence, particularly in the technologies on which critical infrastructure and defence depend.

The President’s visit was a pleasant surprise for us, and we are genuinely delighted about it. We see it as recognition of what we do at RACOM and confirmation that long-term, dedicated work matters and does not go unnoticed.

And because RACOM is not just a brand, products, or buildings, but above all its people, our thanks go to all our employees – both those who are with us today and those who have been part of RACOM in the past. For more than 35 years, they have collectively shaped the story of the company that brought the President of the Czech Republic to the Vysočina Region this time.

This year, we reached an important milestone by securing our first project in Algeria, marking the successful outcome of more than a decade of effort. Although we had previously carried out numerous tests for several Algerian companies, none of them had resulted in a real deployment until now.

Working together with SMAR, AIRadio, Codep, and SARPI, we have now secured a project for Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned oil and gas company. As the country’s largest enterprise, Sonatrach is involved in the entire value chain—from oil and gas exploration and production to transportation, processing, and sales. The company has more than 150 subsidiaries and affiliated companies, employs around 200,000 people, and ranks among the most significant companies in Africa.

The project began in 2022, when we carried out the first tests with Codep. It then continued in 2023, when we hosted representatives of the Brazilian company SMAR at RACOM to test their PLC systems used by Sonatrach. Following successful trials, additional technical testing, and tender processes, we delivered the first 120 RipEX radio modems this year. They will become part of a SCADA network in southern Algeria, with additional deliveries expected after the successful commissioning of the initial deployment.

In July, we welcomed a large delegation from Algeria to RACOM headquarters. The main purpose of their visit was to carry out the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the supplied equipment. Over several days, the customer worked closely with our engineers to verify the complete solution, including the configuration of the RipEX radio modems and compliance with all required specifications.

The FAT also gave the participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the configuration, operation, and management of the RipEX radio modems, ensuring they are well prepared for the field deployment. The FAT was successfully completed, the equipment was formally accepted by the customer, and it was cleared for shipment to the installation site in southern Algeria.

As always, our technical support team will continue to provide remote assistance and, whenever required, on-site support during the commissioning of the system.

In July, we manufactured the very last MR400 radio modem. It is heading to Finland, where it will be used to expand an existing network. It is remarkable to think that this product remained in production for more than 20 years.

During that time, thousands of MR400 modems were deployed around the world. Many of them are still operating continuously today, proving that quality engineering and robust design truly stand the test of time.

Ending production is a natural step. Key electronic components used in the modem are no longer available, and the product no longer meets today’s cybersecurity requirements. However, we are not leaving our customers without support. We continue to service the MR400 and, thanks to our stock of spare parts, we believe we will be able to support installed units for many years to come.

Long-term service and product support are among the values RACOM has always been committed to. We still service our very first product, the R2CW amateur radio transceiver, introduced back in 1989.

The accompanying photos also remind us that behind every long-lasting product are the people who created it. Some of the colleagues who helped bring the MR400 to life more than twenty years ago are still part of RACOM today. While they have changed a little over the years, the modem itself has remained virtually unchanged. In the meantime, they have passed on their knowledge and expertise to a new generation of colleagues, many of whom were only just starting school when the MR400 was introduced.

The MR400 is not the only example of exceptional product longevity. We are still able to supply the first generation of the RipEX radio modem, introduced in 2011, in limited quantities to expand existing networks. However, after fifteen years, this product is also gradually approaching the end of its lifecycle, while service and support remain available.

We would like to thank all our customers who have trusted the MR400 for more than two decades. Its exceptional longevity confirms our belief that reliability, long-term support, and continuity remain essential for critical infrastructure communications.

¿Cómo transmitir telemetría en tiempo real desde una aeronave eléctrica – aire-a-aire, aire-a-tierra, a 35 km de distancia y durante el cruce del Canal de la Mancha? Airbus lo logró con RipEX.

Airbus Group Innovations lidera la hoja de ruta tecnológica para aeronaves eléctricas del grupo. Su demostrador E-Fanevalúa la viabilidad de la propulsión eléctrica y otras tecnologías disruptivas destinadas a mejorar la eficiencia y reducir emisiones.

Para validar estos avances, Airbus necesitaba un sistema de comunicaciones capaz de:

• Mantener telemetría en tiempo real
• Funcionar tanto aire-a-aire como aire-a-tierra
• Operar a largas distancias, incluso sobre el mar
• Trabajar con antenas ultracompactas
• Realizar cambios de enlace sin interrupciones

Tras estudiar las opciones del mercado, Airbus seleccionó RipEX por su extraordinaria capacidad de transmisión y arquitectura RF moderna.

Durante más de 100 vuelos de prueba, los enlaces RipEX proporcionaron:

• Comunicación aire-a-aire a 35 km
• Funcionamiento estable usando únicamente antenas de 10 cm
• Enlaces fiables entre el E-Fan y la aeronave de apoyo

Para el histórico cruce del Canal de la Mancha, Airbus amplió la red a modo aire-tierra:

• Estación RipEX en el aeropuerto de salida (Inglaterra)
• Estación RipEX en el aeropuerto de llegada (Francia)
• Traspaso automático de enlace a mitad de vuelo

Esto garantizó telemetría simultánea hacia dos estaciones terrestres durante los 74 km de vuelo.

El sistema RipEX proporcionó:

• Transferencia continua de datos sin interrupciones
• Cambio transparente entre enlaces aire-a-aire y aire-a-tierra
• Comunicación estable a pesar de las antenas diminutas
• Funcionamiento fiable a largas distancias y en condiciones exigentes

RipEX se consolidó como elemento clave del programa E-Fan – demostrando que la tecnología RACOM es adecuada incluso para las aplicaciones aeroespaciales más exigentes.

¿Cómo proporcionar conectividad empresarial con alta velocidad, capacidad garantizada y máxima estabilidad? UPC apostó por RAy.

UPC, uno de los principales proveedores de TV e Internet en la República Checa, necesitaba una solución de microondas fiable para ampliar su red en zonas donde la fibra no era viable.

Sus requisitos principales:

• Conectividad backbone y last-mile de alta capacidad
• Rendimiento garantizado para clientes B2B
• Estabilidad comparable a los servicios de fibra
• Funcionamiento estable en cualquier condición

UPC desplegó enlaces RAy en múltiples bandas para una planificación óptima de la red.

RAy fue elegido por:

• Rendimiento similar a la fibra
• Estabilidad excepcional y baja latencia
• Diseño full-outdoor robusto
• Amplia gama de frecuencias
• Confiabilidad probada en más de 100 enlaces

UPC destaca:

• Rendimiento estable incluso bajo alta carga
• Ideal para last-mile y backbone empresarial
• Integración sencilla en la red existente

El distribuidor autorizado VanCo.cz Ltd. confirma que RAy se ha convertido en una pieza clave para proporcionar servicios corporativos con los más altos estándares de fiabilidad.

¿Cómo seguir creciendo en una ciudad densa y llena de interferencias como Beirut – especialmente cuando la banda de 5 GHz ya no ofrece la estabilidad necesaria? DPL encontró la respuesta en RAy 11 GHz.

Data Pro Links (DPL) es un proveedor destacado en Líbano que ofrece:

• Backhaul inalámbrico para operadores de cable
• Conexiones empresariales de última milla
• Soluciones portátiles de acceso online
• Conexión directa al backbone mundial de Internet

El crecimiento acelerado de su red saturó el espectro de 5 GHz, generando:

• Falta de capacidad
• Enlaces inestables
• Mayor latencia
• Ruido e interferencias

Para continuar expandiéndose, DPL necesitaba una solución de microondas profesional con mayor fiabilidad y mejor rendimiento.

Tras evaluar diversas tecnologías, DPL eligió RAy 11 GHz debido a su excelente relación coste–rendimiento.

Ventajas decisivas:

• Hitless ACM para mantener el caudal incluso durante desvanecimientos
• ATPC para reducir interferencias y mejorar la calidad del enlace
• Alta robustez del receptor – permitiendo enlaces más largos con antenas más pequeñas
• Funcionamiento estable en condiciones climáticas extremas
• Software de gestión intuitivo y eficiente

RAy se despliega tanto para backhaul como para última milla, sustituyendo enlaces de 5 GHz con mayor capacidad y menor latencia.

Desde la adopción de RAy, DPL ha experimentado:

• Capacidades globales más altas
• Latencias más bajas en las rutas migradas
• Mayor alcance en zonas remotas del país
• Antenas más pequeñas y menores costes de instalación
• Necesidad mínima de soporte, gracias a la simplicidad de despliegue

Sr. Bassel Nasr Eddine, Jefe de Telecomunicaciones de DPL:

«La relación coste–rendimiento es excepcional. Combinada con la fiabilidad del equipo y las generosas condiciones de garantía, demuestra claramente que elegimos la solución correcta con los enlaces RAy de RACOM.»

RAy se ha convertido en la base tecnológica del crecimiento de DPL – impulsando conexiones fiables y de alta capacidad en todo el Líbano.

¿Cómo transmitir tiempos parciales en tiempo real a lo largo de una ruta montañosa de 15 km cuando miles de espectadores saturan las redes móviles? Para On Line System, la respuesta fue RipEX.

Eventos deportivos al aire libre como:

• esquí de fondo
• maratones
• ciclismo
• orientación
• triatlones

requieren tiempos parciales fiables. Jizerská 50, parte de Visma Ski Classics, atrae a casi 5 000 competidores.

Con los años, On Line System se enfrentó a:

• saturación total de redes 3G/4G
• falta de cobertura en zonas remotas
• retrasos en tiempos parciales
• pérdida ocasional de datos

Desde 2018 se utiliza RipEX para transmitir tiempos parciales.

Configuración:

• tres puntos fijos de cronometraje
• enlaces de hasta 15 km
• tres saltos entre repeaters
• 25 kHz
• modulación 4CPFSK
• Flexible protocol para evitar colisiones
• transmisión TCP/IP de paquetes de 70 bytes

Cada nuevo paquete se envía hasta recibir ACK del centro.

Durante la carrera:

• los tres puntos emitían a la vez
• ninguno podía escuchar a los demás
• había dos repeaters
• el riesgo de colisiones era muy alto

RipEX gestionó:

• transmisiones simultáneas
• colisiones y reintentos
• largas distancias en bosque montañoso

El uso de RipEX aportó:

• estabilidad total en la transmisión
• independencia de redes móviles saturadas
• tiempos en directo para el centro y la TV
• menos estrés para los operadores
• una solución reutilizable en futuros eventos

Como dijo Petr Blažej:

“El rendimiento de RipEX fue excelente. Saber que los datos iban por un enlace seguro y robusto nos dio tranquilidad durante todo el evento.”

RipEX ya forma parte clave de la infraestructura tecnológica de esta emblemática carrera europea.