Telia, Nokia, and the Finnish Defense Forces carried out a 5G Standalone (5G SA) slice handover between multiple countries in a live network.

The vendor claimed the test was the first of its kind.

The test was carried out in March as part of a Nordic exercise. During which Nokia said a "continuous and secure data connection was maintained in the slice while moving across three separate networks in three Telia countries."

Swedish telco Telia operates in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Nokia notes that 5G SA is crucial for modern defense forces, as military personnel increasingly operate in coalitions beyond their national territories while requiring uninterrupted access to mission-critical applications and services.

One of the key features of 5G SA is network slicing. A network slice allows telecom operators to create separate and isolated networks within their wider 5G network, and each slice can be configured differently.

“This trial marks a significant milestone in showcasing the dual-use possibilities of 5G for defense while also enhancing communication capabilities within the NATO domain,” said Jarmo Vähätiitto, major general, Finnish Defense Command, chief of C5.

“5G and network slicing enable secure, mission-critical communications. In collaboration with the Finnish Defense Forces and Nokia, we are pioneering in using commercial technology for critical defense communications. This trial meets the Defense Forces' needs and proves that commercial 5G networks can be utilized also in this domain,” added Jari Collin, CTO at Telia Finland.

Nokia provided its 5G Core Software as a Service (SaaS) and AirScale 5G base stations, while Telia provided its commercial mobile network.