Nokia is accelerating the deployment of advanced Tactical 5G Communications technology to transform battlefield operations for allied armed services, including the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and NATO forces. This effort centers on delivering secure, high-bandwidth, and reliable connectivity essential for high-speed, data-driven military decision-making in complex operational environments. The company’s recent advancements span arctic field exercises, collaboration with defense prime contractors, and the development of specialized hardware tailored for rapid deployment.
Arctic Demonstrations and International Collaboration
In Norway, Nokia successfully demonstrated its 5G capability as a critical combat asset during the multinational Joint Viking 2025 defense exercise. Providing its 5G AirScale radio products and a 5G Standalone Core, the company improved tactical communications and information-sharing among the approximately 10,000 participating troops from nine nations, including the U.S. This capability provided military squads with real-time battlefield intelligence, empowering leadership to make faster, data-driven decisions and bolstering mission effectiveness north of the Arctic Circle.
Furthering its work in the region, Nokia signed a memorandum of understanding with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to develop tactical communications, focusing first on Tactical 5G Communications for field operations. This arrangement combines Kongsberg’s expertise in military tactical systems with Nokia’s market leadership in commercial 4G, 5G, and private networks to deliver resilient, secure, and high-performance networks, simplifying 5G deployment and enhancing interoperable combat connectivity. The partners also plan to evaluate opportunities for integrating 5G with unmanned systems and participate in broader European Defense Fund efforts.
Enabling Rapid Deployment for the USMC
For the USMC, Nokia delivered its Banshee tactical private wireless services to the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) for experimentation and integration. The Banshee family is a commercial off-the-shelf system designed to offer long-range, high-speed, and secure tactical communications that troops can rapidly deploy in challenging conditions.
Banshee provides a scalable alternative to typical military communication systems, featuring reduced weight, an operator-friendly interface, and robust security necessary for mission-crucial connectivity. A successful proof-of-concept was previously conducted in 2023 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona.
Defense Industry Partnerships
Nokia also integrates its services through key defense industry partnerships, ensuring open standards and rapid capability insertion. The company teamed with Lockheed Martin and Verizon to integrate its military-quality 5G services into Lockheed Martin’s 5G.MIL Hybrid Base Station. These tests successfully combined traditional tactical communications systems with 5G using commercial standards and open systems architectures.
This approach allows for the fast integration of advanced capabilities without vendor lock. Separately, Nokia and Motorola Solutions partnered to deliver containerized tactical communications network services to U.K. defense agencies, featuring deployable containers that can be operational in under 30 minutes, ensuring secure and reliable data and voice communications on the front lines.
