Tactical Radio with Banshee by Nokia Defense

The newly created Nokia Defense division of the European telecommunications group has introduced tactical 5G solutions for the modern battlefield. Nokia identifies two main trends driving its entry into the defense business: First, the massive proliferation of unmanned systems on land, at sea, and in the air, which require stable, high-bandwidth, and resilient data connections to transmit high-definition video streams. Second, the increased use of artificial intelligence to analyze large volumes of data directly at the frontline. Since traditional military radio systems are not designed for these data volumes, Nokia is adapting its commercial 5G technology to meet the extreme demands of armed forces.

Portable Banshee Radio System

The Banshee product portfolio includes, among other things, a mobile base station weighing around eight kilograms for 5G-based tactical radio. Designed for platoon-level operations, the system can be carried in a backpack. This compact system supports up to 128 users—including soldiers with smartphones, drones, or sensors—and features integrated edge computing to run mission-critical software, such as combat management systems, autonomously in the field.

Since 5G is not natively a mesh technology, Nokia combines the system with its proprietary mesh network, allowing multiple tactical radio networks to connect with one another automatically and dynamically. Power is supplied by standard NATO batteries, which can be hot-swapped during operation and provide a runtime of around seven hours.

For larger units, command posts, or field camps, a more powerful variant of the Banshee system is available in a transport container. This version is optimized for vehicle installation or mast-mounted operation, supports several thousand users simultaneously, and is already being trialed in armored vehicles in cooperation with KNDS.

Android Smartphone by Nokia

The network infrastructure is complemented by a highly ruggedized Android smartphone for soldiers, developed and manufactured in Europe, which will enter series production in the first quarter of next year. To prevent espionage and data leaks, the device—certified for the “Restricted” classification level—uses an open-source, modified Android operating system that blocks critical connections to commercial servers. Furthermore, the smartphone is largely free of Chinese core components and features a physical interface for accessories such as satellite modems or additional radio modules.

Gerhard Heiming

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