ICEYE and Nokia partner to launch secure and sovereign satellite communications for governments and defense customers
Key Highlights
- ➤Nokia (NOKIA) and ICEYE partner on sovereign LEO satellite communications systems
- ➤First communications satellites expected to launch in 2028
- ➤Systems will integrate satellites, ground infrastructure and ruggedized end-user terminals
- ➤Nokia and ICEYE systems target defense, border security and emergency services
Expert Statements
Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE
“Together with Nokia, we are building on our proven space intelligence expertise and delivering sovereign, high-performance satellite communications. Nations must be able to fully own and control their communications, without dependency on a foreign commercial operator’s terms of service. We delivered Poland its own radar satellite system in under a year. Partnering with Nokia lets us move at a similar speed for satellite communications, on the timelines nations need.”
Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia
“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.”
ICEYE and Nokia partner to launch secure and sovereign satellite communications for governments and defense customers * Sovereign, dual-use satellite communications systems owned and operated by the nations that use them. Helsinki, Finland – October 1, 2026 – ICEYE, the European leader in sovereign intelligence from space, and Nokia, a global leader in connectivity infrastructure, today announced a partnership to develop secure, sovereign and high-performance broadband low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications systems for governments, supporting missions from defense and border security to emergency services and disaster response. Built on trusted European technology, the jointly developed satellite communications systems will give nations ownership and control of the satellites, ground segment and terminals. The first communications satellites are expected to be launched in 2028.
When terrestrial networks are disrupted or compromised, defense forces, first responders and civil authorities risk losing access to the information and command systems they depend on. Governments therefore need resilient communications infrastructure that remains available under the most demanding conditions, and that they can fully own and control.
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