AI-Enabled Defense Communications Integration

Nokia Defense and NestAI are expanding their cooperation to develop operational capabilities that combine deployable 5G communications, artificial intelligence and integrated sensing for defense applications. The collaboration targets military command-and-control, mission planning and threat detection, supporting European armed forces operating in environments where conventional communications infrastructure is unavailable or disrupted.

Partnership Objectives and Industrial Context
The cooperation builds on the strategic partnership established following Nokia's and Tesi's joint €100 million investment in NestAI in November 2025. The project responds to increasing demand for AI-enabled defense systems as European countries expand investments in military modernization and digital infrastructure.

The primary engineering challenge is maintaining reliable communications and operational awareness in contested environments affected by electronic warfare, signal denial and rapidly changing battlefield conditions. Addressing these requirements requires the integration of telecommunications infrastructure, AI software and sensing technologies that traditionally operate as separate systems.

Nokia Defense contributes secure communications technologies and network infrastructure, while NestAI provides AI software and battlefield operating systems designed to coordinate information from multiple operational sources.

Technical Architecture and Partner Responsibilities
The first combines Nokia's deployable 5G networks with NestOS, NestAI's battlefield operating system. The integrated platform enables mobile command-and-control functions while supporting autonomous platforms without relying on permanent communications infrastructure.

The second capability integrates Nokia's radio-network planning models into NestOS mission-planning software. This allows operators to evaluate expected network coverage, identify potential connectivity limitations and adapt operational plans before and during multidomain missions.

The third combines Nokia's Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) technology with NestAI's multi-sensor tracking capabilities. The system correlates communications signals and sensor data to improve early threat detection and provide wider-area situational awareness, supporting faster operational decision-making under constrained communications conditions.

Deployment Approach
The technologies are being developed as interoperable operational capabilities intended for deployment by European defense organizations. The integrated architecture is designed to function alongside existing military communications infrastructure while supporting distributed operations, mobile deployments and electronic warfare resilience.

Nokia Defense provides communications infrastructure, radio technologies and sensing capabilities, while NestAI is responsible for AI integration, mission-planning software and operational data processing within the NestOS platform.

Applications and Operational Benefits
The integrated solution is intended for military command-and-control, autonomous systems coordination, multidomain operations and battlefield surveillance. Combining communications, AI-based mission planning and sensing into a unified platform can improve operational continuity, reduce connectivity gaps and enhance situational awareness in environments affected by electronic interference or limited network availability.

The technologies are designed to meet NATO operational requirements and address emerging operational challenges, including denied communications, electronic attack and the earlier detection of unmanned aerial threats through integrated sensing and AI-based data analysis.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

www.nokia.com