The Nokia ICEYE satellite partnership plans secure government networks with low Earth orbit communications satellites set to launch in 2028.
HELSINKI, FINLAND — Nokia and ICEYE will develop joint government-controlled satellite broadband for defence and emergency missions with the first communications satellites expected to launch in 2028.
Announced on October 1, 2026, the partnership will focus on broadband networks operating in low Earth orbit (LEO). The companies expect to launch their first communications satellites in 2028, introducing an additional option for governments seeking dedicated communications infrastructure.
Unlike conventional arrangements in which customers purchase connectivity from commercial satellite operators, the proposed systems are designed to give participating nations ownership and control of their satellites, ground infrastructure and communications terminals.
The project targets military communications, border security, emergency services and disaster response. Its development comes as European governments expand their investment in secure communications and space-based infrastructure.
Nokia and ICEYE combine networking expertise with satellite technology
The partnership brings together two different areas of technical expertise.
Nokia contributes its experience in telecommunications infrastructure, secure networking and network management. ICEYE brings satellite manufacturing, constellation operations and experience delivering dedicated space systems to government customers.
Their objective is to integrate these capabilities into broadband communications systems that national authorities can own and operate.
ICEYE is primarily known for its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, which generate Earth observation images using radar signals. This technology allows the company to monitor locations regardless of daylight and through many weather conditions.
Communications satellites perform a different function. Instead of producing radar images, they transmit information between users and communications infrastructure.
The agreement therefore represents an expansion of ICEYE's existing activities into satellite broadband, supported by Nokia's telecommunications technology.
The companies say their proposed systems will combine spacecraft, ground infrastructure and ruggedised terminals suitable for demanding operational environments.
The first satellite launches are expected in 2028, although the announcement does not establish a precise launch date or confirm when a complete operational network will become available.
Why governments want greater control of satellite communications
A central feature of the agreement is technological sovereignty.
For government communications, sovereignty extends beyond the nationality of the manufacturer. It concerns who owns the equipment, manages the network, controls its operating conditions and determines which organisations can access its services.
Under the Nokia and ICEYE proposal, participating nations would control the satellites themselves, together with the terrestrial equipment needed to operate them.
That approach could reduce certain dependencies associated with obtaining communications services exclusively from external commercial operators.
ICEYE chief executive and co-founder Rafal Modrzewski identified national ownership as a central objective of the partnership. He also pointed to the company's experience delivering a radar satellite system to Poland as evidence of its existing government satellite operations.
Nokia chief executive Justin Hotard emphasised the importance of secure connectivity across different operational environments, including land, sea, air and space.
Both executives presented resilient communications as an essential component of government and defence operations.
Nevertheless, ownership alone does not guarantee operational independence. Satellite networks still depend on components, launch providers, ground infrastructure, maintenance and technical support.
The degree of independence achieved by an individual customer would consequently depend on its procurement agreement, system architecture and operating arrangements.
How low Earth orbit networks support critical operations
Low Earth orbit communications systems use satellites positioned considerably closer to the planet than conventional geostationary communications satellites.
This shorter transmission distance can reduce latency, the delay experienced as information travels between a user and the communications network.
Lower latency is particularly valuable for applications requiring frequent information exchanges, including emergency coordination and operational communications.
However, individual low Earth orbit satellites move across the sky relative to locations on Earth. Providing continuous connectivity generally requires multiple spacecraft, supporting ground infrastructure and mechanisms for transferring connections between satellites.
For the proposed Nokia and ICEYE systems, the companies intend to concentrate communications capacity on priority operational areas.
This differs from a strategy focused exclusively on delivering mass-market internet access across the widest possible geographical area.
The planned infrastructure would supplement existing terrestrial, military and commercial communications networks rather than replace them.
Such an arrangement offers an additional communications channel when conventional infrastructure becomes inaccessible.
For example, emergency authorities responding to extensive flooding might encounter damaged telecommunications equipment or interruptions to electricity supplies.
Satellite communications can provide an alternative connection between response teams and operational centres, provided that the relevant terminals, power supplies and satellite coverage remain available.
Similar requirements arise during military deployments, border surveillance operations and emergencies affecting remote communities.
The reliability of any specific system will ultimately depend on its deployed architecture, geographic coverage, security arrangements and performance under operational conditions.
ICEYE's Polish satellite project provides a relevant precedent
The communications partnership builds on ICEYE's previous work delivering nationally controlled satellite systems.
In May 2026, the company announced that it had handed over its MikroSAR radar satellite reconnaissance system to the Polish Armed Forces less than 12 months after the contract was signed.
That project involved a different satellite application, but it provides a documented example of ICEYE supplying dedicated space infrastructure to a government customer.
According to the company, Polish military personnel received training to operate the system independently.
The Nokia partnership seeks to extend a comparable government ownership model from satellite observation to satellite communications.
There is also an existing financial relationship between the companies.
In June 2026, ICEYE announced a financing transaction that included a €450 million primary Series F investment round. Nokia was among the investors participating in the financing.
Including the associated secondary transaction, ICEYE reported that the total financing exceeded €1 billion.
Nokia's participation provides additional business context for the October announcement, demonstrating that the relationship extends beyond the newly announced technical cooperation.
However, neither the investment announcement nor the October partnership establishes the financial value of future government communications contracts.
The companies have not disclosed a comprehensive project budget, the number of satellites planned for their initial communications deployment or the identities of confirmed customers under the new programme.
How the project relates to Europe's IRIS² satellite programme
The partnership also forms part of a broader expansion of European satellite communications infrastructure.
The European Union is developing IRIS², a multi-orbit satellite constellation intended to provide secure connectivity for governmental and commercial applications.
In August 2026, the European Commission announced an updated implementation agreement expanding the planned main IRIS² constellation to 348 satellites.
The revised programme includes 330 satellites in higher low Earth orbit and 18 satellites in medium Earth orbit.
The European Commission also announced that the programme's first launches had been brought forward to 2029.
These developments provide an important comparison with the Nokia and ICEYE timetable.
While the companies expect their first communications satellites to launch in 2028, the European Union is pursuing a larger programme with its own procurement arrangements and deployment schedule.
The initiatives also have different organisational structures.
IRIS² is an EU-backed public-private programme involving European institutions and the SpaceRISE consortium. Nokia and ICEYE are proposing communications systems that individual governments or participating nations could own and control.
ICEYE describes its planned service as capable of operating alongside existing governmental satellite communications arrangements, including IRIS².
Its published service description identifies several potential operating models, including dedicated national constellations, constellations shared by allied nations and hosted services incorporating national control arrangements.
These are proposed service configurations, not evidence that specific governments have purchased or deployed the new systems.
The relationship between future national networks and larger European infrastructure could become an important procurement consideration as governments assess their communications requirements.
What remains to be established before the 2028 launches
The October announcement establishes the partnership's intended direction, but several important deployment details remain outstanding.
The companies have identified the planned initial launch year without disclosing a comprehensive launch manifest or publicly confirming the number of spacecraft assigned to the first phase.
The announcement also does not provide independently demonstrated performance figures for the future operational communications network.
Specific coverage areas, operational capacity, customer commitments and procurement costs will require further disclosure.
These details matter because launching a satellite is only one stage in establishing a dependable communications service.
A functional network must also integrate its spacecraft, ground equipment, user terminals, network management systems and security arrangements.
It must subsequently complete the necessary testing and operational preparations.
For governments considering dedicated satellite communications, the eventual procurement decision would involve evaluating the technical architecture and operating model alongside financial and security requirements.
The announcement identifies 2028 as the anticipated beginning of the deployment process, not a guaranteed date for the availability of a complete operational constellation.
Nokia and ICEYE are therefore entering the next development stage with a defined technological objective and an indicative launch year. The scale of the programme and its eventual role in government communications will become clearer as further technical specifications, customer agreements and deployment milestones are announced.
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