On Oct. 22, in Kyiv, Finnish tech companies ICEYE and Nokia signed a letter of intent with Ukraine’s Defense Ministry to help the country build its own sovereign satellite communications system. The agreement emerged during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s visit to the Ukrainian capital, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a broader support package valued at roughly €300 million.
Breaking Reliance on Foreign Private Networks
Ukraine relies heavily on satellite-based communications and data to defend itself. That reliance proved fragile following a week of persistent disruptions to Ukrainian services. On Oct. 14, Ukrainian soldiers and officials reported a severe throttling of their access to Starshield services, applying a speed limit to terminal-carrying drones that caused many of them to fall out of the sky, reported. While U.S. President Donald Trump claimed full speed and functionality had been restored, a Ukrainian official told The Kyiv Independent that the restrictions remained in place.
The newly planned satellite infrastructure seeks to change that dynamic. By developing sovereign systems, Ukraine aims to gain direct ownership over its satellites, ground segments, and terminals so that front-line forces do not lose access due to the shifting policies of foreign governments.
Today, we continue our cooperation with Finland – and very substantively. We are working comprehensively with the Government of Finland – with Prime Minister @PetteriOrpo. Thank you for this cooperation and for this level of relations between our countries. We have a new support… pic.twitter.com/2rl2uGpprS
The Finnish Industrial Partnership
The agreement formalizes a collaboration announced earlier in October by Nokia and ICEYE to build broadband low Earth orbit satellite communications systems tailored for governments. These networks support national defense, border security, and emergency response. ICEYE CEO Rafal Modrzewski emphasized that Ukraine requires secure, sovereign, and high-performance capabilities under its own control, adding that his firm has proudly supported Ukraine since 2022.
Nokia Defense Chairman Mikko Hautala stated that the project will give Ukraine control over the connectivity it depends on during crises. ICEYE operates a large constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites that provide persistent Earth observation in any weather. Nokia brings extensive connectivity infrastructure expertise across fixed, mobile, optical, and core networks to the defense partnership.
Broader Support Packages and Infrastructure Stakes
The satellite agreement formed part of seven documents signed during the Ukrainian-Finnish Business Forum. Alongside the space technology cooperation, Finland committed to supplying tangible logistical aid. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, Finland became the first country to donate locomotives to Ukraine free of charge, handing over 10 Dv12 diesel locomotives and spare parts to bolster the state railway operator.
President Zelenskyy highlighted that the broader €300 million package also addresses critical energy infrastructure needs ahead of winter, following repeated Russian strikes against transit and power networks. Meanwhile, the European Union continues negotiating Ukraine’s access to its secure satellite communications program, with commercial services potentially expanding the system by early 2027.
Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities…
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Ukraine has reached agreements with Nokia and Finnish company ICEYE on cooperation in satellite technologies.The plans include developing a Ukrainian satellite communications system for military use. pic.twitter.com/26oVKTZIKM
Ukraine is moving to put more of its wartime communications under Ukrainian control. On 22 October, ICEYE and Nokia signed a Letter of Intent with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence to explore cooperation on sovereign satellite communications. The agreement was announced during the… pic.twitter.com/BPjB4LQV3M
BREAKING: Ukraine has signed an agreement with Finland's ICEYE and Nokia $NOK to explore building its own military satellite communications network, potentially reducing its reliance on SpaceX's Starlink.The Letter of Intent, signed with Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, aims to… pic.twitter.com/tYUYwAeU1O
