Sweden and Finland have been tasked with jointly running NATO's innovation work on connectivity through the NATO Innovation Range. This was announced by the Swedish Armed Forces on 4 November in connection with a demonstration at Revingehed (southern Sweden), where advanced 5G was used to detect drones. The Swedish Armed Forces' 5G network is being built and operated in cooperation with Telia and Ericsson.

"Sweden should not only use the communication technology of the future, we should help develop it for NATO's future defence," says Major General Mattias Hanson, Head of Cyber Defence at the Swedish Armed Forces.

According to a press release from the Swedish Armed Forces, the NATO Innovation Range is part of NATO's Rapid Adoption Action Plan. The demonstration was carried out at the South Scanian Regiment (P 7), based in southern Sweden, and, according to the Swedish Armed Forces, produced very good results. The drone detection relies on using radio signals and communication infrastructure as radar to detect movement and changes in the surrounding environment.

The nationwide 5G network is intended to be able to reinforce coverage at military bases and be temporarily set up in the field, at unit locations and crisis air bases. 5G equipment is also planned for amphibious craft, frigates and transport aircraft. In the longer term, satellite-based systems are to be integrated. The Swedish Armed Forces are already taking part in Telia and Ericsson's innovation programme NorthStar.

Two days before the demonstration, Ericsson presented its new drone detection system, the Ericsson ISAC System (Integrated Sensing and Communication). The system uses the mobile network's radio signals to detect and track drones, including those not connected to the network, and is intended to complement radar and other sensors. According to Ericsson, the system has detected and tracked micro-drones at distances of several kilometres in the company's own tests.

"Detecting small drones over large areas is a growing operational challenge. The ability to use distributed infrastructure as a complement to existing sensors could provide an important additional layer of situational awareness," says Carl Lundqvist, Chief Architect at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, in Ericsson's press release.

Ericsson has, among other things, demonstrated the technology together with Finland's Erillisverkot in Helsinki. The company plans small-scale commercial pilot projects with sensor functionality only during 2027, with broader rollout from 2028.

Sensing, using 5G technology as radar, is one of two new focus areas for Ericsson in defence. This was reported by Joachim Hammersland, Global Head of Solution Area Defence at Ericsson, in an interview with Nordic Defence Sector in September. The other focus area is tactical, deployable 5G.

"Above all, we are looking at detecting small drones that fly fast and at low altitude," Hammersland said in the interview.