NATO to use Latvia’s 5G Test Site

Allied Command Transformation and the Latvian Ministry of Defense signed an MoU to use the country's 5G test site for defense, and will conduct an operational technology exploration event there By Abi Wylie / 31 Aug 2023

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
NATO to use Latvia’s 5G Test Site
Follow DA

Supreme Headquarters Allied Commander Transformation and the Latvian Ministry of Defence have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing NATO to use the Latvian National Armed Forces’ 5G test site.

ACT is planning to conduct an operational technology exploration event at the site in Ādaži, Latvia, that will explore the potential of the Alliance’s Research and Development (R&D) initiatives as well as Ādaži’s tactical 5G capabilities. 

In doing so, this event will see the use of virtual and augmented reality, unmanned vehicles, sensors, and applications within a tactical 5G bubble. It will also see the Alliance test the ability of 5G technologies to enhance the delivery of telehealth services to NATO and national military personnel. 

By testing the novel capabilities of the next generation of telecommunications networks, Allied Command Transformation will demonstrate how 5G’s ability to provide ultra-reliable and low-latency connections can provide additive capabilities to NATO Communication and Information Systems. 

It will also demonstrate the use and benefit of 5G technologies in enhancing the awareness, agility, and lethality of NATO’s forces in future conflicts, driving the Alliance’s Digital Transformation and transition to Multi-Domain Operations.

In preparation for the event, the NATO Next Generation Communications Technologies Event Planning Session was held in Riga, Latvia. Organized by the Latvian Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with Latvia’s National Armed Forces and Latvian Mobile Telephone, the planning session gathered an extensive team of experts to refine the upcoming technology event’s scenario and technical execution. 

They also met with Allied Command Transformation’s event lead and technical team, visited the Ādaži 5G military testbed to inspect the physical infrastructure available for the experiment, and conducted system interconnectivity tests.

Latvia is uniquely situated to enable the testing of operational 5G technology, having hosted Allied Command Transformation’s first operational 5G experiment in November 2022. 

This experiment saw augmented and virtual reality software be integrated with 5G mobile telecommunications technologies and concluded with a test at Ādaži. 

Latvian Minister of Defence, Ms Ināra Mūrniece, said: “Latvia has developed great innovation capabilities. We accommodate globally recognized expert teams with a wide spectrum of competencies, as well as highly developed infrastructure for testing future command and control solutions. By combining our expertise with NATO’s vision, I am convinced that we can demonstrate the transformative power of 5G technology in enhancing both military and civilian operations.” 

Vice Admiral Guy Robinson added: “In signing this agreement, NATO will have the opportunity to validate new concepts and develop requirements in an operational environment that will support NATO’s Digital Transformation and Multi-Domain Operations ambitions.”  

Posted by Abi Wylie Edited by Abigail Wylie, Editor and Copywriter experienced in digital media with a keen interest in ocean science technology. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Practical Methods for Balancing UAV Propellers Safely & Effectively

Tyto Robotics discusses the ways to add and remove materials from drone propellers, considering advantages and disadvantages of various products and techniques

Jul 11, 2025
Military-Grade Tethered Drone Systems for Surveillance & Security Missions

DPI UAV Systems (Dragonfly Pictures) is a developer of advanced tethered drone systems for military, government and security applications. As...

Jul 11, 2025
Modular Chassis Design Enhances Deployment Flexibility for Defense Systems

LCR Embedded Systems explains how modular chassis design supports rapid deployment and cost-effective packaging for rugged embedded systems using open standards like VPX and SOSA

Jul 10, 2025
MilDef to Supply Rugged IT Equipment for Norway’s Defense Digitization

MilDef has secured a major contract with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to supply rugged IT equipment supporting Norway’s defense digitization efforts

Jul 10, 2025
Tethered Drone Technologies for Mission-Critical Defense & Security Applications

Defense Advancement showcases Elistair's tethered drone solutions for mission-critical defense and security applications

Jul 10, 2025
New Oscilloquartz Optical Cesium Clocks Enhance Network Timing Precision

Adtran is expanding its Oscilloquartz portfolio with the new OSA 3200 SP and OSA 3250 ePRC optical cesium models, providing improved holdover and simplified maintenance for telecom, data center, utility, and defense networks

Jul 09, 2025

Featured Content

New Oscilloquartz Optical Cesium Clocks Enhance Network Timing Precision

Adtran is expanding its Oscilloquartz portfolio with the new OSA 3200 SP and OSA 3250 ePRC optical cesium models, providing improved holdover and simplified maintenance for telecom, data center, utility, and defense networks

Jul 09, 2025
Teledyne FLIR OEM Whitepaper: Synthetic Data Generation for AI Object Detection

Read Teledyne FLIR OEM’s whitepaper on AIMMGen™, a defense-oriented synthetic data and AI model generation pipeline tailored to Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and object classification tasks

Jul 03, 2025
Galvion’s Production Hub in Poland Now Open & Operational

Galvion's new Production Hub in Poland has formally opened through a large ceremony held at the Gdansk facility with factory tours, demonstrations, and live models of helmets

Jun 30, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.