IRT b-com

What IRT b-com does

IRT b<>com is a French Institut de Recherche Technologique founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cesson-Sévigné, operating as a Fondation de Coopération Scientifique. It is a privately funded, non-profit research institute specializing in digital technologies for decarbonation, organized around five research axes: Networks & Connectivity, Images & Vision, AI & Algorithmics, Cloud, and Digital & Society. The institute employs approximately 180 researchers and engineers across a 4,000 m² scientific campus and holds a portfolio of 200 active patents across 70 patent families, supported by 40 commercialized technologies and 160 software applications.

The institute's technology stack spans RF hardware (Wireless Family software-defined radio IP for FPGAs, including 3GPP-compliant LDPC and Polar FEC), 5G/6G network architectures (Open XG Hub), real-time HDR conversion (Sublima), invisible digital watermarking (Tag), sovereign augmented reality (Overview), and a human-factors measurement platform (Relief) built with partner HDG. AI and computer vision are woven through product lines, including anomaly detection for deepfakes, neural video representations (NeRV), frugal AI deployed on NPUs, and multimodal cognitive sensing for stress detection. Integration with industry standards (O-RAN, 3GPP, DICOM-RTV, DICOMweb, C2PA) and toolchains (Docker, Kubernetes, Unity, Synaptics SoC, Altera/Intel/AMD FPGAs) supports interop with partner stacks.

Commercially, b<>com monetizes through three channels: industrial/academic membership in the 'cercle d'innovation' where ~20 companies and ~10 academic institutions co-finance R&D aligned with market needs; IP licensing and integration agreements with OEMs (EVS, Harmonic, Apantac for Sublima; Viaccess-Orca for Tag; Airbus, Orange, EDF, Renault Group for Open XG Hub, Relief, and Overview); and public-private co-funding under France's Investissements d'Avenir program. The institute serves broadcasters (Sublima, Tag), defense and 5G operators (Open XG Hub, Obvios Dome spin-off), industrial companies (Overview, Relief, Kerlink vibration AI, Sofrastock collision prevention), and healthcare (DICOM Family, InSimo). Pricing is predominantly negotiated and non-public, with selective freemium access for R&D evaluation (Open XG Hub).

Name

IRT b-com

Legal name

Fondation de Coopération Scientifique b<>com

Website

https://b-com.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IRT b<>com is a French non-profit Institut de Recherche Technologique that develops and licenses sovereign digital technologies — 5G/6G, HDR video, watermarking, AR, and human-factors AI — for industrial members, broadcasters, defense operators, and OEMs via a co-funded innovation circle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Technology Research & Licensing

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment (3663)

akta.pro primary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Digital technology research
• 5G 6G experimentation platforms
• Augmented reality localization
• HDR video conversion
• Digital watermarking security

Headquarters

HQ city

Cesson-sévigné

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Innovation Circle Membership & Co-development: Industrial companies and academic institutions join as investor members of the 'cercle d'innovation', contributing to R&D governance and co-developing technologies directly aligned with market needs. Revenue is generated through membership contributions, collaborative R&D projects, and technology licensing back to members and industry.
2. Technology Licensing & IP Transfer: b<>com licenses its proprietary technologies (Sublima HDR converter, Tag watermarking, Overview AR platform, Open XG Hub, etc.) to industrial partners, equipment manufacturers, broadcasters, and integrators. Technologies are commercialized through IP licensing, integration services, and technology transfer agreements with partners such as EVS, Apantac, Harmonic, and Viaccess-Orca.
3. Research Project Funding (Public-Private): As an IRT (Institut de Recherche Technologique), b<>com benefits from public funding through the French Investissements d'Avenir program alongside private investment from industrial members. This hybrid public-private funding model supports the institute's R&D activities across five technology axes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRT b-com is a French technological research institute that co-develops and commercialises proprietary digital-technology platforms (5G/6G experimentation tools, HDR video conversion, digital watermarking, augmented-reality localisation, and human-factors measurement). It operates a membership-based innovation model where industrial companies and academic institutions fund shared R&D, and b-com then licenses the resulting IP, software products, and reference designs to broadcasters, equipment manufacturers, defence, energy, space, healthcare and industrial customers.

Product overview

IRT b-com is an Institute of Technological Research specializing in digital technologies for decarbonation. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture organized around five research and innovation axes: Networks & Connectivity, Images & Vision, AI & Algorithmics, Cloud, and Digital & Society. The core product portfolio includes Open XG Hub (5G/6G experimentation platform), Sublima (HDR conversion), Tag (digital watermarking), Overview (AR platform), and Relief (human factors measurement). Additional offerings span video optimization (Wisdom), medical imaging (DICOM Family), software radio (Wireless Family), private 5G networks (Obvios Dome), and cloud resource management (Spare Cloud Allocator). The company also provides testing services (xG Testbed) and exploratory services like Cartographie 2040 for technology foresight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open XG Hub Comprehensive software environment for deploying, testing and customising 5G/6G network architectures (DU, CU, Core) via Docker; powered by the b<>com RAN DU solution, O-RAN and 3GPP compliant. Targets researchers, network integrators and industrial R&D teams.
• Sublima Real-time adaptive HDR/SDR conversion technology offering frame-by-frame conversion without metadata and without manual adjustment; preserves artistic intent on roundtrip conversion. Licensed to broadcasters and OEMs, available on FPGA, CPU, GPU and NPU.
• Tag Invisible digital watermarking solution for audiovisual content; works offline without metadata or cloud, detects deepfakes and certifies content authenticity. Validated by Cartesian testing and adopted by Viaccess-Orca for anti-piracy on live and VOD.
• Overview Sovereign augmented-reality platform providing accurate 3D mapping and localisation at building, construction-site or factory scale using a single visual positioning system. Supports iOS, Android, Hololens 2, Lynx and other AR devices via a Unity plugin, with crowdmapping for dynamic environments.
• Relief Integrated software platform combining cognitive sensors, simulation tools and AI analyses to measure human factors (operator behaviour, cognition, physiological state) in critical environments; used with HDG for CNES space simulation experiments and EDF control-room design.
• Wisdom AI-based variable frame-rate video optimizer that adapts frame rate to content, reducing compressed-video bitrate by up to 15% and uncompressed image storage by up to 40% while preserving viewer experience.
• Spare Cloud Allocator Cloud resource optimisation solution that dynamically manages unused private-datacenter capacity for cost-effective application processing with guaranteed QoS; reported to deliver ~4x lower execution cost than public cloud like AWS.
• xG Testbed Multi-tenant testing environment for 5G and IoT experimentation from early integration through field trials, including private cloud and indoor/outdoor radio access networks; managed by a Director of Operations.
• Wireless Family Software-defined radio transmission-channel products for FPGAs (DFE Rate Adaptor, Software Radio IoT, FIR Filter Designer, LDPC FEC, Polar FEC); LDPC and Polar FEC are 3GPP 5G-NR compliant and delivered in VHDL for various FPGA suppliers.
• DICOM Family Medical-imaging interoperability solutions comprising the DICOM-RTV Converter (real-time, synchronised uncompressed surgical video over IP with metadata) and the Rest DICOM Library (DICOMweb STOW/WADO/QIDO-compliant medical image access).
• Obvios Dome Ultra-secure, resilient private 5G network solution, offered as in-a-box portable, on-premises enterprise or managed cloud configurations; commercialised via b<>com spin-off Obvios (awarded IBC 2024 Innovation Prize in Environment and Sustainability).

Quantifiable outcome

• Deepfake fraud increased by over 2,137% in three years; b<>com Tag technology provides detection without cloud or metadata dependency
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability12 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HDG (Human Design Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDG, a member-investor of b<>com and expert in ergonomics and human factors, collaborates closely with b<>com on the Relief platform. This partnership has produced technologies for measuring human factors in critical environments, including an experiment with CNES at the SENS simulation center in Toulouse. HDG and b<>com co-developed ProuVR (based on Relief technology), an immersive platform for nuclear control room design, recognized at Ergo'IA 2023.
• CapgeminicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, b<>com partnered with Capgemini to present an innovative demonstration of b<>com Tag deepfake detection technology at the European Cyber Week and subsequently at Vivatech 2025, confirming the solution's efficiency and autonomy for video tracking without cloud dependency.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNES collaborated with b<>com and HDG on an experiment using the Relief platform at CNES's SENS simulation center in Toulouse. The experiment involved measuring astronaut physiological data (heart rate, respiration, eye tracking) during simulated extreme space missions to evaluate group cohesion, stress detection, and operator vigilance.
• Renault Group / Software RépubliquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerb<>com collaborated with Renault Group via Software République and Orange Business Services to develop and test a collision risk detection application for Sofrastock International's logistics warehouse. The project used b<>com Overview platform for precise 3D localization, achieving sub-15cm accuracy and 200ms alert latency.
• OrangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrange collaborated with b<>com, Renault Group, and Software République on the warehouse collision prevention project. Orange serves as a key ecosystem partner, with Orange Innovation's Networks manager Rodolphe Legouable providing endorsements for Open XG Hub as a key research infrastructure for European telecommunications ecosystem.
• Label4.aicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn June 2025, b<>com and Label4.ai announced a strategic partnership to strengthen online trust. The deeptech partnership focuses on developing solutions that address content authenticity and trust in digital environments, complementing b<>com's Tag watermarking technology.
• AtemecoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerb<>com works with Ateme, a global video technology company, on advanced video compression including neural compression approaches and new 3D video encoding schemes. Collaboration focuses on reducing bandwidth usage while optimizing visual quality using frugal AI.
• Viaccess-OrcacoreTechnology or IntegrationViaccess-Orca has adopted b<>com Tag digital watermarking technology to combat piracy of live and VOD content, securing content monetization. This represents a commercial deployment of b<>com's technology in the broadcast security space.
• AirbuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbus uses b<>com Open XG Hub for 5G/6G research, with the Air!5G project exploring new network architectures for defense and critical communications. Christophe Duteil, Airbus Air!5G Project Manager, cited the platform as a unique framework for accelerating advanced telecommunications innovation in collaborative research.
• EDFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDF uses b<>com Relief platform to design future control rooms, studying in-depth operational interactions between technicians and human-machine interfaces to guarantee safety, efficiency, and comfort in nuclear power plant operations.
• Imprudence (Design Fiction Studio)minorStrategic or Co-development Partnerb<>com partnered with Imprudence, a design fiction studio, on the 'echoes' foresight project exploring sustainable digital technology by 2040. Julien Tauvel, CEO of Imprudence, led a design fiction exercise to envision responsible digital futures, producing four scenarios including 'Vivre dans les archipels numériques' and 'Dompter le Numérique, Sauver le Monde'.
• ObvioscoreTechnology or IntegrationObvios is a spin-off/subsidiary of b<>com specializing in private 5G networks. The company commercializes the Dome private 5G solution and other connectivity products. Obvios was awarded the Innovation Prize in Environment and Sustainability at IBC 2024 and maintains b<>com as a partner on its website's 'They trust us' section.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vantiva (formerly Technicolor): French-headquartered technology company historically focused on video and broadcast R&D and licensing. Closely comparable heritage of French-anchored innovation in media technology, content delivery, and home networking.
• Dolby Laboratories: Global leader in HDR, audio, and video/visual technologies with a strong licensing business model. Directly competes with b<>com's Sublima HDR conversion technology in the broadcast and streaming ecosystem.
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Germany's largest applied research organization with multiple institutes covering digital media, telecommunications, AI, and audiovisual systems. Operates the same member-funded, applied-research model as b<>com but at significantly larger scale and broader scope across Germany and Europe.
• EVS Broadcast Equipment: Belgian live video technology company serving broadcasters and content owners. Both an OEM partner integrating b<>com's Sublima HDR converter and a structural peer operating in the same live/broadcast video infrastructure market.

Direct peers

• CEA-Leti: French R&D institute focused on microelectronics, digital technologies, and systems. Shares b<>com's full-stack digital R&D approach spanning physical-layer hardware through software, with deep industrial partnerships and public-private funding from French national programs.
• IRT Jules Verne: Another French Institut de Recherche Technologique with the same PIA-funded, member-driven R&D model. While focused on manufacturing/aeronautics/energy rather than digital, it shares b<>com's institutional structure, governance, and member-funding logic.
• InterDigital: U.S.-listed R&D-driven technology company that develops and licenses wireless, video, and AI technologies and monetizes them through IP licensing. Closely parallels b<>com's R&D-to-licensing business model, especially for Open XG Hub and Wireless Family technologies.
• INRIA (Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique): France's national research institute dedicated to digital science and technology. Both are French public-research organizations funding and conducting advanced digital R&D across AI, networks, vision, and human-computer interaction, with similar academic-industrial partnership models.

Emerging players

• Ateme: French video-compression and delivery technology company that partners with b<>com on advanced video compression. Operates in the same broadcast/media technology space and collaborates on b<>com's Wisdom and video compression R&D.

Others

• Orange Innovation / Orange Labs: Telecommunications R&D arm of Orange, a key ecosystem partner of b<>com on Open XG Hub and private 5G initiatives. Operates as an adjacent R&D-focused entity serving European telecom innovation with similar public-private research character.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/irtbcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irt-b-com
• Instagraminstagram.com/IRT_bcom
• Xx.com/IRT_BCom

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IRT b-com