U.S. Army in tests of Nokia communication gear

Published 8 November 2006

The U.S. Army is interested in a host of communication technologies — WiMAX, WCDMA 3G, GSM — and has signed an R&D agreement with Nokia to test and demonstrate the applicability of these technologies for C3I purposes

Finnish communication giant Nokia signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army to evaluate Nokia technology in PCS, WCDMA 3G, GSM, WiMAX, and advanced wireless networking protocols for potential military and defense applications. The CRADA with the Research, Development, and Engineering Command, Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) is good news for Nokia’s government division in the United States, particularly its expanding relationship with the Army.

The project comprises a series of tests, demonstrations, experiments, and exploratory exchange efforts which will begin this month and last for five years. The devices and systems which will be evaluated may be adopted by the U.S. Army for its Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence information flow. “The CERDEC is one of the Army’s most prestigious R&D organizations and they are at the forefront of the potential application of commercial technology for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security,” said Bob Fennelly, director of government systems and networks at Nokia. “This arrangement will help the Army’s efforts to evaluate commercial technology for government applications and will greatly increase Nokia’s capabilities to provide its advanced technologies to large U.S. government communications projects.”

-read more in this news release