Nokia will provide 4G and 5G mission-critical infrastructure, consulting and services to Project FACT, which will investigate the future deployment of a new and consistent technology platform for communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) services in air traffic management (ATM).

The FACT Project will offer upgrades to existing SNC technologies, where applications such as controller-pilot data link communications—the method by which air traffic controllers communicate with pilots—can also be deployed over new and emerging high-bandwidth mobile broadband technologies. The project will also investigate the potential integration of current conventional ATM systems with emerging European Union space services, such as drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles.

Nokia will lead a feasibility study and test specification for the evolution of legacy CNS systems toward a new integrated approach. Nokia's laboratory trials are expected to take place in the summer of 2021, with field trials scheduled for June 2022.

By making a transformative transition from legacy non-IP-based systems, the project will enable digitized operators to test 4G and 5G for use in aviation, supporting a common performance-based approach and addressing the rapidly growing future spectrum needs of airspace users in diverse operating environments.

Participants in the FACT program include Honeywell International as the consortium leader, AOPA-Germany, Eskisehir Teknik Üniversitesi, EUROCONTROL, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Nokia and Sarp Havacilik Lojistik Turizm Sanayi ve Tic AS. The project is receiving funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

Nokia is actively involved in the aviation industry as a key technology provider for the European Aviation Network project. In November 2019, it was announced that Nokia would upgrade ENAV's entire ground-to-ground network infrastructure, transitioning its network to the new ENET-2 architecture. Nokia has also announced the successful deployment of the Irish Aviation Authority's next-generation air traffic control network at its new disaster recovery center in Western Ireland.

As the technological cornerstone of the Single European Sky (SES) initiative, the SESAR Joint Undertaking coordinates and consolidates all EU research and development activities related to air traffic management, bringing together a wealth of expertise to develop the next generation of air traffic management systems. Currently, the SESAR Joint Undertaking involves some 1,500 experts from Europe and beyond.

This project has received funding from the SESAR joint venture under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, pursuant to grant agreement No 894616.