20 years of IMST "” 20 years of mobile communications? "Right from the start we did not limit ourselves to digital mobile communication," says Professor Doctor Ingo Wolff founder and Executive Director of IMST GmbH. "We always understood mobile communication to mean radio communication in which at least one participant is "˜mobile.´"
Perhaps this broadband basis has allowed the Kamp-Lintfort company to remain largely immune to market turmoil. The original idea --to build a center in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) for mobile and satellite communications technology with close links to local producers of mobile phones like Siemens Mobile Phones"”has become an engineering think tank with core competence in wireless technology.
A look back highlights IMST´s technological milestones. In 1996 the development of car radio phones for Bosch-Blaupunkt established the company as a reliable development and design center.
A year later IMST successfully expanded by opening an EMC test lab, which has grown into a nationally and internationally recognized accredited test facility for antenna measurement techniques, EMC, SAR measurements, and R&TTE certification.
At the turn of the new millennium the "Center 21" Center for Wireless Communications 21 laid the foundation for wireless sensor technology, wireless modules and wireless Internet. In 2006 the chip design center followed, which is still one of the fastest growing fields. Starting in 2008 IMST became a supplier of wireless modules. With the introduction of WiMOD series for ISM frequency bands, small and midsize customers got access to professional radio communication solutions which would otherwise be too expensive. Since radio is now in almost every aspect of daily life, this market is rapidly increasing.
In 2009, IMST´s headquarters were expanded 1,000 m2 to accommodate the full complement of 180 employees. In the same year IMST, with support from the EU and the NRW, launched a competence center for automotive engineering ("the KAT") to develop innovative wireless applications in and around vehicles.
Even in satellite radio technology, the Kamp-Lintfort engineering team plays a lead role. The focus now is on electronically steerable antennas certified for space communications. With great pride, CEO Dr. Peter Waldow says, "IMST developments are already on satellites in space and, together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), we are playing a significant role in the upcoming Heinrich Hertz mission, in whom Germany is once again building its own satellite for wireless communication."
What´s next? IMST sees a trend away from technology-driven innovation and toward socially relevant applications. This is a wide-open field for wireless technology. Innovative solutions such as cyber-physical systems, Industry 4.0 and Ambient Assisted Living are in the forefront. For these and all our future projects, our goal is to develop the research teams, technologies and solutions to meet our partners´ needs.
The future looks exciting "´ we do!
