• Worked alongside industry partners to deploy Nokia 5G AirScale radios and 5G Standalone Core, enhancing tactical communication during multinational Arctic defense exercise.
• Nokia’s 5G technology supported advanced defense applications and provided real-time information to field personnel

Nokia, in collaboration with industry partners, tested 5G technology in a defense scenario during Joint Viking 2025, a Norwegian military exercise. Throughout the trial, Nokia’s 5G technology enabled field personnel from multiple nations with advanced defense applications, enhancing situational awareness and facilitating seamless cooperation across military units.

Nokia’s solutions included 5G AirScale radio products and 5G Standalone Core technology tuned for defense applications, to enhance tactical communication and information systems among participating nations. Nokia’s 5G communications platform gave military personnel access to real-time battlefield intelligence, facilitating faster decision-making. The Joint Viking command and control leadership leveraged this data to improve situational awareness, streamline operations, and enhance both safety and efficiency throughout the exercise.

Joint Viking 2025 took place in Bardufoss, located in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. It included more than 10,000 soldiers from Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, US, UK, The Netherlands, and Norway. Occurring every two years, the exercise aims to enhance military cooperation, support protection of NATO’s northern flank and test Norway’s ability to receive allied reinforcements.

The Norwegian Material Defense Agency (NDMA), an agency directly subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, collaborates with Norway’s mobile operators as key service partners. Recently, the Norwegian energy and telecom group Lyse and Nokia have entered into a strategic agreement to enhance tactical communication solutions for Norway, leveraging their expertise and strengths in critical communications.

“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 Norway’s Ministry of Defense liaison for 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,” commented Giuseppe Targia, Head of Space and Defense at Nokia.