Ukraine explores sovereign satellite network with Iceye and Nokia

Still from Iceye video which was included in a 1 October 2026 press release depicting satellite antenna mounted on a vehicle. (Iceye)

Finnish companies Iceye and Nokia have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to explore the development of the country’s sovereign satellite communications (satcom) capability, according to a 22 October 2026 Iceye press release.

Iceye did not provide further details on the LoI, noting only that on 1 October it had announced a partnership with Nokia to develop sovereign low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications (satcom) systems for governments to support defence and security missions. “The jointly developed satellite communications systems will give nations ownership and control of the satellites, ground segment and terminals,” the company said.

The first satellites developed under the partnership are expected to be launched in 2028. Iceye also said in its 1 October press release that its sovereign systems jointly developed with Nokia will “complement” existing military and commercial networks rather than replace them. “Ukraine needs secure, sovereign, and high-performance satellite communications systems that it controls,” Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of Iceye, said in the 22 October press release.

Reports emerging from Ukraine early on 14 October indicated that overnight restrictions on using the SpaceX-provided Starlink and Starshield military-service package over Ukraine had limited unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with a speed threshold of up to 160 km/h.

On 14 October, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said that any limits on speed or usage of Starshield are “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS [President of the United States]”. On 22 October, US President Donald Trump said Musk restored access, indicating that limits on the satellite uplink had been reversed.