Cellular Communications in Contested Environments

Cellular communications have proven to be the most resilient and persistent pathway in contested environments, as demonstrated daily in Russia and Ukraine, yet this reality is often treated as a technical detail rather than a decisive tactical advantage.

The recent Operation Spiderweb out of Ukraine, where the Ukrainians targeted the Strategic Russian nuclear bomber fleet using unmanned UAVs has shown the importance of drones and unmanned vehicles in modern warfare. The interesting thing is that the drones used in Spiderweb used local cellular networks for C2 and to transmit FMV feeds.

The warfighter impact is straightforward. There is no communications blackout at H hour. Command and control, targeting, UxV operations, and coordination with operators on the ground remain intact when RF and satellite pathways degrade or fail. In Russia and Ukraine today, cellular and fiber optic networks have remained largely operational for the duration of the conflict, while other communications pathways have been disrupted or denied.

Cape, a software-defined mobile telco, has been experimenting with setting up secure cellular networks overseas. We will host a panel with various USG and industry stakeholders talking about our recent experiences in Gray Flag 25 where we gathered a host of compelling data on the use of cellular networks for C2 of unmanned systems.