India, Oct. 2 -- ICEYE, an European provider sovereign intelligence from space, and Nokia have partnered to develop secure, sovereign broadband low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications systems for governments, targeting applications including defence, border security, emergency services and disaster response.

The companies said the systems will be designed to give governments ownership and control of the satellite constellation, ground segment and user terminals. The first communications satellites are expected to be launched in 2028.

The partnership comes as governments seek resilient communications infrastructure that can remain operational when terrestrial networks are disrupted, damaged or compromised. Such connectivity is inc...