In a rapidly evolving tactical environment, the ability to capture, analyze and share data faster than the adversary is critical to mission success.

New sensors and a wide array of uncrewed systems play an increasingly vital role in collecting intelligence and enabling informed action, known as the ‘battlefield of things’.

Interconnecting all of these ‘things’ – sensors, drones, vehicles and soldiers – to command structures at scale requires new communications technology with improved capacity, throughput and lower latency than existing traditional tactical radios. 

This is where 5G comes into play. Backed by decades of investment worth hundreds of billions of Euros, 5G is the most advanced wireless technology available on the market, providing 10 times the capacity of existing systems for much lower cost.

Nokia has significant experience with 5G and is playing an active role in supporting defence with adopting this technology. Efforts include:

• May 2024: Finalised the acquisition of Fenix Group, strengthening the company's tactical portfolio and accelerating the delivery of advanced broadband communications to the battlespace. 
• November 2024: Participated in the NATO DiBaX exercise in Latvia, showcasing real-world use cases of the battlefield of things, in both land and naval domains.
• March 2025: Partnered with Lockheed Martin and Verizon, successfully integrating Nokia’s military-grade 5G solutions into Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL Hybrid Base Station, proving that commercial 5G can meet the rigorous demands of military operations.
• April 2025: Conducted successful interoperability tests between Bittium SDR solutions and Nokia’s 4G/5G tactical systems.
• May 2025: Delivered advanced tactical private wireless to US Marines Corp Tactical Systems Support Activity.

These milestones reflect Nokia's progress in driving the development and integration of 4G/5G tactical communications solutions across the battlefield of things.

Visit the Nokia booth at DSEI to learn more about their innovations and discuss how 5G can help deliver information advatange, contributing to the digitalisation of the battlefield.