When severe weather disrupts communities, digital connectivity can become an essential lifeline. Communication networks support emergency response, keep critical services operating and help communities remain connected when physical infrastructure is under pressure. Their value can easily go unnoticed during normal conditions, but becomes immediately apparent when connectivity is interrupted.
This year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day theme, “Digital lifelines – Strengthening resilience in a connected world,” highlights the growing importance of resilient digital infrastructure. Climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue. Increasingly, it represents a direct operational challenge for organizations and societies that depend on interconnected physical and digital systems.
Extreme Weather Is Increasing Pressure on Infrastructure This year's World Telecommunication and Information Society Day theme, “Digital lifelines – Strengthening resilience in a connected world,” highlights the growing importance of resilient digital infrastructure. Climate change is no longer simply an environmental issue. Increasingly, it represents a direct operational challenge for organizations and societies that depend on interconnected physical and digital systems.
Climate change is increasingly being experienced through severe storms, flooding, extreme heat and wildfires. These events can place significant and immediate pressure on power systems, communications networks and other essential infrastructure.
Nokia and CGI are conducting a joint assessment examining how extreme weather could affect connectivity infrastructure in the United States and India. The study draws on several sources of information, including World Bank projections, EM-DAT disaster records and primary survey data.
Early findings indicate that extreme weather events are not only becoming more intense but are also occurring in more concentrated and extended patterns. This can create multiple, overlapping pressures on infrastructure rather than producing isolated disruptions.
In the United States, the research identifies an upward trend in severe storm activity. Peak years have recorded as many as 23 major storm events, accompanied by increasingly intense and concentrated rainfall.
In India, the assessment points to growing flood exposure associated with heavier rainfall. The number of days receiving more than 50 mm of rain is projected to increase substantially over the longer term, potentially reaching up to seven times the levels seen in shorter-term baseline periods. At the same time, pre-monsoon temperatures are becoming more persistent and intense.
Higher-emission scenarios amplify these risks in both countries. The findings suggest that extreme weather is increasingly capable of placing sustained, systemic pressure on critical infrastructure rather than causing occasional, isolated interruptions.
Climate adaptation is therefore an ongoing process, while climate resilience represents the desired outcome: infrastructure and services that can anticipate disruption, withstand shocks, recover efficiently and adapt to changing conditions. Technology has an important role in enabling that resilience.
Nokia's Approach to Climate Resilience Nokia and CGI are conducting a joint assessment examining how extreme weather could affect connectivity infrastructure in the United States and India. The study draws on several sources of information, including World Bank projections, EM-DAT disaster records and primary survey data.
Early findings indicate that extreme weather events are not only becoming more intense but are also occurring in more concentrated and extended patterns. This can create multiple, overlapping pressures on infrastructure rather than producing isolated disruptions.
In the United States, the research identifies an upward trend in severe storm activity. Peak years have recorded as many as 23 major storm events, accompanied by increasingly intense and concentrated rainfall.
In India, the assessment points to growing flood exposure associated with heavier rainfall. The number of days receiving more than 50 mm of rain is projected to increase substantially over the longer term, potentially reaching up to seven times the levels seen in shorter-term baseline periods. At the same time, pre-monsoon temperatures are becoming more persistent and intense.
Higher-emission scenarios amplify these risks in both countries. The findings suggest that extreme weather is increasingly capable of placing sustained, systemic pressure on critical infrastructure rather than causing occasional, isolated interruptions.
Climate adaptation is therefore an ongoing process, while climate resilience represents the desired outcome: infrastructure and services that can anticipate disruption, withstand shocks, recover efficiently and adapt to changing conditions. Technology has an important role in enabling that resilience.
Nokia views resilience as the ability of critical systems — including connectivity, energy and public services — to remain operational during periods of severe environmental stress. These systems must also be considered as interconnected networks rather than as individual components operating independently.
The company's approach centers on three areas:
Direct control: Improving the resilience of Nokia's own operations and technologies. Shared control: Helping customers strengthen the reliability and resilience of their networks and services. Indirect influence: Working with ecosystem partners to support resilience at the wider community and societal level. The company's approach centers on three areas:
Artificial intelligence is an important enabler across each of these areas. AI can help systems identify potential disruptions, respond dynamically to changing conditions and accelerate recovery. Resilience must also be developed responsibly, with energy efficiency, circularity and careful resource management remaining important considerations so that sustainability and resilience progress together.
Technology for More Resilient Digital Lifelines The Nokia–CGI assessment identifies several ways extreme weather can affect communications infrastructure.
Higher temperatures and environmental conditions can reduce the performance of communications equipment, while storms and flooding can physically damage network assets. Dependence on electrical grids can also cause a localized infrastructure problem to spread across wider areas. Meanwhile, dangerous conditions and limited physical access can make repairs and recovery more difficult.
Nokia's role includes providing technologies that help customers prepare for, withstand and recover from these disruptions. These capabilities can support business continuity, reduce operational risks and protect long-term economic value. They include:
Next-generation mobile networks with satellite-integrated connectivity: Satellite capabilities can supplement terrestrial networks, helping maintain communications during disasters while extending coverage to remote and difficult-to-reach locations. High-capacity fiber networks: Fiber infrastructure provides stable, low-latency and energy-efficient data connectivity across large geographic areas. AI-driven network operations and predictive hardware maintenance: These capabilities can identify potential equipment problems and reduce the need for personnel to visit sites during dangerous conditions. Resilient distributed cloud architectures: Dynamic traffic management and workload distribution across multiple regions can help maintain digital services during disruptions, including incidents affecting data centers. Automated LTE/5G-connected drone platforms: Drones can provide real-time situational awareness, inspect infrastructure, assess damage and support emergency response for utilities, transportation networks, public safety organizations and industrial operations. Environmental monitoring through fiber and situational-awareness technologies: Existing fiber infrastructure and sensing technologies can provide information that supports faster decisions and more effective responses during emergencies. Mission-critical and private wireless networks: These networks provide secure and highly reliable communications for public safety organizations, utilities and other critical industries. Keeping Communities Connected During Crises Higher temperatures and environmental conditions can reduce the performance of communications equipment, while storms and flooding can physically damage network assets. Dependence on electrical grids can also cause a localized infrastructure problem to spread across wider areas. Meanwhile, dangerous conditions and limited physical access can make repairs and recovery more difficult.
Nokia's role includes providing technologies that help customers prepare for, withstand and recover from these disruptions. These capabilities can support business continuity, reduce operational risks and protect long-term economic value. They include:
Ultimately, resilience is about more than keeping infrastructure operational. It is about protecting people and helping communities function during periods of uncertainty.
When communications networks remain available, emergency calls can be completed, hospitals can stay connected, families can communicate and authorities can coordinate response and recovery efforts. Reliable connectivity can therefore have effects that extend well beyond the technology itself, supporting social stability when communities face major disruptions.
Building this level of resilience requires cooperation. No single organization can address the challenge alone. Operators, governments, humanitarian organizations and technology partners must work together to develop and deploy solutions that can strengthen connectivity and reach the communities and locations that need them most.
Click here to know more.
When communications networks remain available, emergency calls can be completed, hospitals can stay connected, families can communicate and authorities can coordinate response and recovery efforts. Reliable connectivity can therefore have effects that extend well beyond the technology itself, supporting social stability when communities face major disruptions.
Building this level of resilience requires cooperation. No single organization can address the challenge alone. Operators, governments, humanitarian organizations and technology partners must work together to develop and deploy solutions that can strengthen connectivity and reach the communities and locations that need them most.
Click here to know more.