Two Finnish companies, Nokia and NestAI, have announced the first products built through their 2025 partnership. The systems, which connect AI, 5G connectivity, and advanced sensing, allow users in contested, jammed environments to maintain “ command and control, support autonomous systems, and reduce reliance on fixed communications infrastructure.”
“Defense is moving quickly to adopt AI-enabled capabilities, from mission planning to unmanned operations,” said Mikko Hautala, Nokia’s Chief Geopolitical & Government Relations Officer and Chairman of Nokia Defense. “But AI only works in the field when it has secure, resilient connectivity behind it. Together with NestAI, Nokia is accelerating the sovereign technologies NATO needs to operate, decide, and act in the next generation of missions.”
The partnership is delivering three important capabilities.
First, Nokia is combining its deployable 5G networks with NestOS, the adaptive battlefield operating system developed by NestAI, to give military units a more resilient way to maintain command and control. The integrated platform supports autonomous systems and reduces dependence on fixed communications infrastructure, allowing forces to stay connected even as operations move. This means there are no cables to be run, as is common in situations where jamming is prevalent.
Nokia is also integrating its radio network planning models into NestOS, allowing commanders to build connectivity into mission planning from the start. Instead of treating communications as a separate problem, forces can assess coverage, adapt network plans as conditions change, and reduce the risk of losing connectivity during critical moments.
Finally, they are focusing on “earlier threat detection and response.” Nokia’s Integrated Sensing and Communications, or ISAC, technology is being combined with NestAI’s multi-sensor tracking to help operators detect threats over wider areas. The system will help to improve awareness, even in environments where communications are limited.
The goal is to use Nokia’s 5G tech and NestAI’s AI systems to ensure constant connectivity in places where jammer drones or other systems are in play.
The partnership sits within Nokia’s broader defence push and follows Nokia’s and Tesi’s €100 million joint investment in NestAI in November 2025.
“Most defense AI is built on assumptions about connectivity, sensor access, and infrastructure that do not hold in contested environments,” said Peter Sarlin, NestAI’s Executive Chairman. “What we are building with Nokia addresses the real conditions European forces face, from the network underneath to the threats at the edge, on technology that Europe develops and controls.”
