11 Teams, Including Nokia, Win More Than $50 Million to Develop Communications and Sensing Models
Key Facts
The National Spectrum Consortium announced on November 3 that it had awarded 11 teams prizes totaling more than $50 million, jointly funded with the FutureG Office, under the RAPID program to develop prototypes for integrated sensing and communications technologies. The selected teams include one led by Nokia Federal, as well as Future Tech, Texas Tech University, AT&T, DeepSig and Hidden Level. The program targets technology that combines communications transmission with sensing the surrounding environment for use in military and commercial networks. Tom Rondeau, principal director of the FutureG Office, said the effort represents "a decisive shift from theoretical sixth-generation concepts to tangible, software-defined prototypes." The announcement places Nokia among multiple teams in the program and does not specify a separate award amount for its team or expected revenue for the company.
The program focuses on integrated sensing and communications technologies, which the National Spectrum Consortium said will play an important role in the emerging sixth-generation wireless communications standard. The concept is for wireless networks to use their signals to detect surrounding objects, alongside transmitting data, by analyzing signal reflections. ExecutiveGov described the concept as making networks "also work as sensors." This allows communications and environmental sensing to be combined in the same technology, according to the program's description. The prototypes target military and commercial uses, without the source announcing a specific operational application or a launch date for a commercial service.
Nokia's group includes five partners alongside Nokia Federal, including AT&T, which is also a subcontractor on its team, according to ExecutiveGov. The team's composition points to participation by industry and academic institutions in the development work, with Texas Tech University also on the list. The National Spectrum Consortium estimates that about 30 companies and universities are represented across the selected teams. It also said about two-thirds of participants are small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors. This estimate covers all 11 teams collectively and does not apply to Nokia's team alone.
RAPID projects are expected to run for 24 months and be divided into two phases. The first phase will produce demonstrations in a laboratory or field setting, according to the National Spectrum Consortium. The second phase will conclude with prototypes intended for commercial and military use. This sequence gives teams time to demonstrate the technology before moving to prototypes aimed at broader applications. The announcement did not specify calendar dates for completing each phase or releasing the final prototypes.
Nokia Federal Solutions, Nokia's U.S. government-focused arm, operates within the company's federal business, according to Nokia's definition in a separate announcement. On December 10, 2025, Nokia Federal Solutions received a separate award of more than $25 million under an advanced spectrum coexistence program. That project aimed to demonstrate spectrum-sharing technology, and the National Spectrum Consortium said Nokia would provide an intelligent radio access network controller. The work also included technology to reduce interference in fifth-generation networks. That award and project remain separate from the RAPID awards announced in November 2026.
The fiscal 2026 mandatory funding plan provides broader context for U.S. investment in advanced communications for military use, allocating $500 million to accelerate the development and integration of fifth- and sixth-generation technologies. Of that amount, the plan allocated $148.6 million to integrate commercial fifth-generation technologies into military use. The plan said priorities include secure communications, AI-based network management, sensing and advanced communications. In the market, Nokia shares closed at about $8.28 on November 12, 2026, according to EL7 data. That figure is from a session before the article's publication date, and the available source does not attribute any price movement to the awards announcement.