Minister of Defence Häkkänen: Oulu 5G/6G project to receive government grant of EUR 4.8 million

Minister of Defence Häkkänen: Oulu 5G/6G project to receive government grant of EUR 4.8 million

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a government grant of EUR 4.8 million to the programme for northern Finland for a project to develop 5G/6G network technology that supports homeland defence. A consortium led by the University of Oulu will be responsible for implementing the project.

In its programme, the Government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo established the programme for northern Finland with the goal of improving Finland's security of supply and self-sufficiency in a changed security environment The work will pay particular attention to the new geopolitical situation and routes to the west, and will help to strengthen security as part of Nordic, EU and NATO cooperation.

In its 2025 mid-term policy review, the Government decided to set up a project consortium for the programme with members from central government, the University of Oulu, key research and development actors and businesses. The consortium's tasks would be to ensure the development of 5G/6G expertise in Finland and solidify Finland's position as a leader in wireless technologies. The NATO DIANA 6G Test Centre in Oulu tests resilient 5G/6G systems that improve monitoring, situational awareness and the protection of infrastructure and are capable of operating in challenging environments.

"The programme for northern Finland aims to strengthen Finland's security of supply in a changed security environment. This 5G/6G development project will intensify cooperation between actors in the research and development community - this way, we can advance Finland's high-tech expertise while also enhancing our security," said Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen.

The funding will be allocated to research that strengthens the industrial base and RDI expertise needed for homeland defence. The aim is for the research being launched now to be utilised in the coming years and to be eligible for further funding from international funding sources as well. The objectives have been reconciled with the needs of the defence administration so that Finland can genuinely become a leading expert in resilient 5G/6G systems able to operate in challenging environments.

The new project consortium will have the following tasks:

1) ensuring the development of 5G/6G expertise in Finland and solidifying Finland's position as a leader in wireless technologies;

2) supporting the use of 5G/6G technology in fulfilling the needs of total and homeland defence; and

3) supporting Finland's participation in innovating future communications solutions within NATO and as part of the European Union.

In addition to the University of Oulu, the consortium will consist of other Finnish research institutes and higher education institutions as well as businesses.

Inquiries: Matti Ikonen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 29 5140182.