Nokia and Rheinmetall develop battle networks for the Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr gets new tactical communication networks. The Finnish supplier Nokia and the Blackned specializing in defense technology, which majority belongs to Rheinmetall, work on their development.

Building on 5G

The focus of the cooperation is the development of mobile battle networks of the next generation, which are said to be specially tailored to the requirements of the German forces, the companies said today. At the same time, a later adaptation of the systems to the needs of other countries is possible. The aim of the project is to provide a safe and robust communication infrastructure for military missions. This should also work under difficult operating conditions – i.e. where conventional means of communication fail. Tactical networks enable soldiers to exchange information in real time, coordinate operations and to better assess the location on site.

The planned solution combines Nokia’s expertise in the area of ​​5G technology with Blackned’s software competence. This is merged with the digital battle platform “Battlesuite” by Rheinmetall, which creates a comprehensive system solution for the battlefield. Financial details of the cooperation were not published.

Future market for Nokia

The step comes at a time when European countries – given international crises and increasing geopolitical tensions – significantly increase their defense spending. Nokia is also increasingly positioning itself in the area of ​​safe military communication systems and wants to benefit from the growing demand. With the partnership, Nokia and Blackned also want to underline their ambitions to offer leading technological solutions in a security -relevant future market. For the Bundeswehr, this could be another component on the way to a digitally networked force.