Communications

Looking to relocate or expand a communications business? Then it’s time to look at Maryland. We’re confident that the closer you look, the more you’ll like what Maryland has to offer:

Ready access to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Telephone Industry Association (TIA), Cellular Telephone Industry Association (CTIA), and Satellite Industry Association (SIA)
Partnership opportunities with key federal and private sector organizations, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Verizon, Comcast, Hughes Network Systems, and the National Security Agency (NSA)
Number two ranking among the states in federal R&D obligations—$12.2 billion annually
Unparalleled technology transfer opportunities—through The Johns Hopkins University, the University System of Maryland, and many other academic, federal, and private research facilities
Great quality of life

Global Reach

What’s the strategic advantage of a Maryland location? In a word, ACCESS .

To customers. To partners. To federal decision makers. And to the rest of the world. Located roughly halfway between Boston and Atlanta, London and Los Angeles, Maryland’s mid-Atlantic location provides proximity and access to key government and commercial customers and regulators in the communications, telecommunications and satellite industries.

Infrastructure and Facilities Highlights:

A fiber-rich, redundant, and reliable telecommunications network valued at $5.5 billion
Second ranked state in the U.S. for investment in science and technology (Milken Institute, 2008)
Among the top 10 states in communications equipment manufacturing
High-speed train access to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, with travel time to New York City—downtown Baltimore to Manhattan’s Penn Station—just two and a half hours on Amtrak

Strength and Numbers

They say success breeds success. And it stands to reason. Maybe that’s why Maryland continues to attract both established technology leaders and start-up entrepreneurs to an area that already boasts one of the largest and most active communications business clusters in the nation.

Take advantage of a Maryland location to network, lobby regulators, and make deals, right in your own backyard—like some of the major communications companies that currently call Maryland home: Antenna Design & Manufacturing, ARINC, BAE Systems, Bechtel Telecommunications, Broadwing L3 Communications, Discovery Communications, Hughes Network Systems, Intelsat, K&L Microwave, L-3 Communications Titan Group, PCTEL – RF Solutions Group, Thales Communications, TV One, Verizon, Viasat and T-Mobile USA.

An Atmosphere of Creative Innovation

Home to more than 50 federal agencies and research centers—and ripe with technology transfer opportunities between academic, governmental and commercial entities—Maryland’s communications economy is driven by an atmosphere of creativity, innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Leading R&D facilities of interest to the communications industry include:

Center for Satellite and Hybrid Communication Networks (HyNet), University of Maryland
Center of Microwave/Satellite and RF Engineering, Morgan State University
Mobile Computing and Multimedia Laboratory, University of Maryland
Center for Photonics Technology, Optical Fiber Communications Laboratory, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Maryland Center for Telecommunications Research, University of Maryland

Detailed information about Maryland's institutions of innovation is contained in the report, Academic and Federal Research Centers in Maryland.

An Exceptional Workforce

Maryland’s numbers speak for themselves:

First among U.S. states in percentage of professional and technical workers (25.7%) in
the workforce
First among the states in percentage of population 25 or older with a graduate or professional
degree (15.7%)
Second among the states in percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree
or higher (35.1%)
More than 100,000 workers in Maryland support the design, manufacturing, and service sectors of the communications industry (Source: AeA)

A Business-Friendly Environment

According to Entrepreneur magazine, the State of Maryland was the most active early-stage investor in the U.S. in 2006. Through a number of innovative assistance programs and direct equity investment, Maryland is building a culture, environment, and infrastructure to support technology commercialization and business growth.

Home to more than a dozen business incubators, including the Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC), the nation’s first incubator to focus on homeland security solutions
The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), which administers several assistance programs aimed at supporting the transfer and commercialization of technology developed in university and federal labs
The Maryland Venture Fund, financed and operated by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), makes direct equity investments in emerging technology and life sciences companies.

Maryland companies benefit additionally from the state's commitment to partnerships, networking, and alliances aimed at helping business thrive. Key communications partners include:

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG)
National Security Agency (NSA)

Research Centers

Contact the Maryland Business Development Team at 410-767-6870 to learn more about Maryland's confidential site selection services for expanding businesses.