Nokia deployed its 5G AirScale radio products alongside a 5G Standalone Core tailored for defense needs
In sum – what you need to know:
5G for defense – Nokia demonstrated its 5G platform during Joint Viking 2025, enabling real-time battlefield intelligence and improved coordination among 10,000 multinational troops in northern Norway.
Strategic partnerships – Nokia and Norwegian telecom group Lyse entered a strategic alliance to strengthen Norway’s tactical communications.
Field innovation – Ice is co-developing mobile coverage extenders for military use with Nokia equipment.
Nokia, in collaboration with several industry partners, demonstrated the use of 5G technology in a military context during Joint Viking 2025, a large-scale Norwegian defense exercise.
The trial featured Nokia’s advanced 5G solutions, which provided multinational field personnel with cutting-edge defense applications—boosting situational awareness and enabling more effective coordination between allied forces.
The company deployed its 5G AirScale radio products alongside a 5G Standalone Core tailored for defense needs, significantly improving tactical communications and information-sharing among participating nations. By using Nokia’s 5G platform, military teams gained access to real-time battlefield intelligence, helping leadership make quicker, data-driven decisions. This intelligence was instrumental for the Joint Viking command structure, enhancing operational oversight, safety, and overall mission efficiency.
The exercise was held in Bardufoss, in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. More than 10,000 troops from countries including Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, the U.S., U.K., The Netherlands, and Norway participated. Held biennially, Joint Viking focuses on strengthening allied cooperation, securing NATO’s northern frontier, and testing Norway’s capacity to receive allied forces in times of need.
“We collaborate with the industry to develop innovative defense solutions based on commercial technologies. A prime example is advanced software functionality, which enables Nokia’s 5G systems to operate in GNSS-denied environments, along with their next-generation radio equipment, engineered for reduced size, weight, and power. Nokia’s 5G technology was instrumental in the success of the Joint Viking exercise, enhancing the Norwegian Armed Forces’ readiness for complex joint operations in challenging conditions,” said Kennet Nomeland, radio architect and liaison for Norway’s Ministry of Defense in the 5G COMPAD program.
“The scalable, secure and reliable connectivity that 5G provides has an important role in strengthening the tactical communication capabilities of defense forces. The successful trial of 5G in the field at Joint Viking exercise is evidence of Nokia’s continued progress in the defense sector and highlights Norwegian Armed Forces’ position as a leader in deploying advanced communication technologies for tactical operations,” added Giuseppe Targia, head of space and defense at Nokia.
The Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA), under the Ministry of Defense, works closely with local mobile operators to support national defense communication efforts. Recently, Lyse, a Norwegian energy and telecom company, partnered with Nokia in a strategic alliance aimed at bolstering Norway’s tactical communications infrastructure.
Under the deal, Lyse, which owns local operators ice and Altibox, and Nokia will deliver critical infrastructure to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Ice is already collaborating with the Norwegian Armed Forces to develop tactical mobile coverage extenders for military use. The devices have been developed in Ice’s lab, using Nokia mobile radio equipment.
“This collaboration makes it possible to strengthen Norway’s defense capabilities with advanced communication technology. Developing and further developing reliable and secure infrastructure solutions for the Norwegian Armed Forces is a high priority task for us,” Kristin Dahle Larsen, head of Lyse’s telecom business, had said.
Nokia, Telia and the Finnish Defense Forces have recently completed the world’s first seamless 5G standalone (SA) network slice handover across multiple national borders. The companies said that the live trial, conducted in Finland in March, demonstrated uninterrupted connectivity while transitioning between three separate 5G networks in three different countries.
This test was carried out as part of a Nordic military exercise and represents a key milestone in leveraging commercial 5G networks for defense applications.
