Helsinki [Finland], October 1 : ICEYE and Nokia have partnered to develop secure and sovereign broadband low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications systems for governments, with the first communications satellites expected to be launched in 2028, the companies said on Wednesday.
The companies, in an official statement, highlighted that the jointly developed systems will be designed for government and defence customers, supporting missions ranging from defence and border security to emergency services and disaster response.
Under the partnership, nations using the systems will have ownership and control of the satellites, ground segment and terminals. The companies said the systems will be built using European technology and are intended to provide governments with secure and resilient communications infrastructure.
The partnership comes as defence forces, first responders and civil authorities can lose access to critical information and command systems when terrestrial networks are disrupted or compromised.
The jointly developed satellite communications systems will provide targeted, high-throughput and low-latency connectivity over priority mission areas. The companies said the systems will complement military and commercial networks rather than replace them, adding reach, resilience and capacity.
The partnership brings together ICEYE's experience in delivering sovereign satellite missions with Nokia's expertise in secure networking technologies and its growing defence portfolio.
As part of the partnership, the companies will integrate satellites, ground infrastructure and ruggedised end-user terminals. This will allow ICEYE to extend its sovereign intelligence from space business model into satellite communications.
ICEYE CEO and Co-founder Rafal Modrzewski said nations need to have full ownership and control over their communications without depending on the terms of service of foreign commercial operators.
“Together with Nokia, we are building on our proven space intelligence expertise and delivering sovereign, high-performance satellite communications,” Modrzewski said.
He added that ICEYE had delivered Poland its own radar satellite system in under a year and said the partnership with Nokia would allow the companies to move at a similar speed for satellite communications.
Nokia President and CEO Justin Hotard said secure and resilient connectivity across land, sea, air and space would be important for sovereign operations.
He said “Sovereign operations depend on the ability to sense, decide and act in real time. Physical AI makes that possible, but only with secure, resilient connectivity across land, sea, air and space. By bringing together Nokia's trusted networks with ICEYE’s proven sovereign space capabilities, we will deliver a satellite communications capability—complementing existing terrestrial networks and giving nations the situational awareness, connectivity, and control they need to operate with confidence in contested environments across all domains.”
The companies said the systems will be designed to support operations in demanding and contested environments while providing governments with connectivity and control.
The partnership also brings together satellite and terrestrial communications capabilities. The satellite systems are intended to complement existing networks and provide additional connectivity where terrestrial infrastructure may be unavailable or disrupted.
Modrzewski and Hotard are scheduled to speak at the Helsinki Security Forum on October 2 during a session titled “How to Salvage Europe's Technological Sovereignty”.