As climate change continues to influence weather patterns, communities are facing extreme events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, and severe storms with increasing frequency and intensity. When disasters occur, disruptions to electricity, communications, transportation, healthcare, and emergency services can magnify the damage and make recovery more difficult. Ensuring that these critical systems remain operational during emergencies is therefore becoming an increasingly important priority.
Climate projections indicate that many extreme weather events are likely to become more intense in the coming decades. This makes advance planning essential for governments, emergency organizations, infrastructure operators, and other decision-makers seeking to reduce the impact of weather-related disruptions on services that communities depend on.
As a provider of connectivity infrastructure, Nokia operates across many of these essential sectors, including energy, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and emergency response. Reliable communications provide the foundation that enables these different systems to exchange information and coordinate their activities when a crisis occurs.
Connectivity as the foundation of resilient communities Climate projections indicate that many extreme weather events are likely to become more intense in the coming decades. This makes advance planning essential for governments, emergency organizations, infrastructure operators, and other decision-makers seeking to reduce the impact of weather-related disruptions on services that communities depend on.
As a provider of connectivity infrastructure, Nokia operates across many of these essential sectors, including energy, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and emergency response. Reliable communications provide the foundation that enables these different systems to exchange information and coordinate their activities when a crisis occurs.
A resilient community depends on several interconnected elements working effectively together:
Weather intelligence to identify developing threats and provide timely warnings. Critical infrastructure, including telecommunications and utilities, to keep essential services operating. Coordinated emergency response involving public safety organizations, healthcare institutions, and local authorities. Community recovery networks, supported by governments, NGOs, schools, shelters, and other organizations. These components are closely linked, meaning that the failure of one can trigger problems elsewhere. For instance, an extended electricity outage can interrupt wastewater treatment and drainage systems, potentially increasing flood-related risks. Similarly, a communications failure can prevent residents from receiving warnings and make it harder for first responders to coordinate their activities.
Past disasters in the United States illustrate the consequences of such interconnected failures. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 resulted in widespread power outages across 18 states and disrupted wastewater infrastructure, contributing to additional flooding and public-health concerns. During Hurricane Helene in 2024, responders in Tennessee used an alternative statewide radio system to coordinate a helicopter rescue after conventional radio communications became unavailable.
The growing dependence on communications infrastructure is placing greater expectations on telecommunications companies to maintain connectivity during emergencies. Five major factors are contributing to this shift:
Financial exposure and risk Increasing regulatory and government expectations Community responsibility and social-impact commitments Opportunities to strengthen the wider infrastructure ecosystem Brand reputation and competitive considerations Past disasters in the United States illustrate the consequences of such interconnected failures. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 resulted in widespread power outages across 18 states and disrupted wastewater infrastructure, contributing to additional flooding and public-health concerns. During Hurricane Helene in 2024, responders in Tennessee used an alternative statewide radio system to coordinate a helicopter rescue after conventional radio communications became unavailable.
The growing dependence on communications infrastructure is placing greater expectations on telecommunications companies to maintain connectivity during emergencies. Five major factors are contributing to this shift:
Recent incidents have demonstrated the consequences of inadequate network resilience. The 2025 electricity blackout across the Iberian Peninsula, for example, affected more than 50 million people in Spain and Portugal, with some areas experiencing outages lasting as long as 16 hours. The failure disrupted numerous critical services at a time when communications were particularly important. Telecommunications networks were also heavily affected, with internet traffic reportedly falling by approximately 90% in Portugal and 80% in Spain. In some areas, mobile connectivity was lost after backup power systems were exhausted.
The blackout also generated criticism of telecommunications operators over preparedness and dependence on conventional electricity supplies. Subsequent severe weather events further highlighted the vulnerability of infrastructure across the region.
Storm Claudia caused flooding and electricity disruptions in parts of Portugal and Spain, while Storm Kristin subsequently caused widespread damage in Portugal, leaving more than one million people without electricity and bringing down thousands of telecommunications and electricity poles. In response to these vulnerabilities, Spain announced plans requiring telecommunications providers to maintain a minimum of four hours of mobile service during power outages. Portugal's telecommunications regulator has also recommended additional requirements aimed at increasing network autonomy.
The challenge extends well beyond Europe. Telecommunications infrastructure in remote parts of North America has also been exposed to extreme weather risks. Canada's 2024 wildfires, for example, highlighted connectivity limitations affecting rural and remote communities.
Research conducted by Nokia in collaboration with CGI, examining disasters recorded between 2015 and 2025, found that among U.S. states with a Nokia presence, Texas recorded 87 disasters during that period, followed by Missouri with 61 and Oklahoma with 58. The frequency and combination of these events reinforce the need for telecommunications providers to prepare for disruption before disasters occur rather than relying solely on recovery measures afterward.
Building resilience into connectivity systems The blackout also generated criticism of telecommunications operators over preparedness and dependence on conventional electricity supplies. Subsequent severe weather events further highlighted the vulnerability of infrastructure across the region.
Storm Claudia caused flooding and electricity disruptions in parts of Portugal and Spain, while Storm Kristin subsequently caused widespread damage in Portugal, leaving more than one million people without electricity and bringing down thousands of telecommunications and electricity poles. In response to these vulnerabilities, Spain announced plans requiring telecommunications providers to maintain a minimum of four hours of mobile service during power outages. Portugal's telecommunications regulator has also recommended additional requirements aimed at increasing network autonomy.
The challenge extends well beyond Europe. Telecommunications infrastructure in remote parts of North America has also been exposed to extreme weather risks. Canada's 2024 wildfires, for example, highlighted connectivity limitations affecting rural and remote communities.
Research conducted by Nokia in collaboration with CGI, examining disasters recorded between 2015 and 2025, found that among U.S. states with a Nokia presence, Texas recorded 87 disasters during that period, followed by Missouri with 61 and Oklahoma with 58. The frequency and combination of these events reinforce the need for telecommunications providers to prepare for disruption before disasters occur rather than relying solely on recovery measures afterward.
Future connectivity infrastructure will need resilience to be considered from the earliest stages of planning. This means incorporating resilience into network design, deployment, day-to-day operations, maintenance, and restoration strategies.
For telecommunications companies, stronger network resilience can reduce exposure to future disruptions while helping ensure that electricity, healthcare, emergency response, transportation, and other essential services remain connected. Ultimately, strengthening communications infrastructure also contributes to the resilience of the communities that rely on it.
Nokia's approach to AI-enabled resilient connectivity For telecommunications companies, stronger network resilience can reduce exposure to future disruptions while helping ensure that electricity, healthcare, emergency response, transportation, and other essential services remain connected. Ultimately, strengthening communications infrastructure also contributes to the resilience of the communities that rely on it.
Nokia is working with telecommunications companies and other organizations responsible for mission-critical services to strengthen resilience across entire infrastructure ecosystems. Its approach extends beyond basic connectivity, incorporating network infrastructure, sensing and detection technologies, power continuity, edge computing, and other capabilities that can help essential organizations remain operational during emergencies.
Foundational connectivity: High-capacity fiber networks can provide dependable communications for critical services, while satellite-enabled Non-Terrestrial Network architectures can offer alternative connectivity when terrestrial infrastructure is damaged or unavailable. Sensing and detection: Existing fiber-optic and 5G infrastructure can potentially be used as large-scale sensing platforms, providing real-time information that supports disaster monitoring and weather forecasting. Nokia's work with organizations including Skyfora, A1, and Telia Finland combines telecommunications infrastructure and GNSS capabilities to develop higher-resolution weather-sensing networks. Power continuity: Telecommunications technology also plays an important role in the modernization of electricity networks. Nokia supports utilities and power-generation organizations in improving their communications infrastructure and operational capabilities. In New Zealand, for example, Nokia is supporting Transpower's upgrade of its central control network, with the objective of strengthening the resilience of the country's electricity infrastructure. Edge resilience: Edge technologies can help maintain mission-critical communications during outages and cyber incidents. Nokia's Cognitive Operations platform and Cognitive Edge Node can enable emergency vehicles to operate as mobile communications hubs, supporting 5G, Wi-Fi, and satellite connectivity while allowing personnel to exchange real-time information from the field. The role of artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence is becoming an important component of resilient infrastructure strategies. Within telecommunications networks and across interconnected infrastructure ecosystems, AI can support applications ranging from climate-risk analysis to automated network recovery and the prioritization of resources during emergencies.
Technologies such as Nokia's AI-RAN platform and MantaRay SON can help identify potential network problems and enable corrective action before service is significantly affected. AI-powered digital twins can also help communities and infrastructure operators model potential scenarios, locate vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, and implement improvements before an actual disaster occurs.
Collaboration across infrastructure ecosystems Technologies such as Nokia's AI-RAN platform and MantaRay SON can help identify potential network problems and enable corrective action before service is significantly affected. AI-powered digital twins can also help communities and infrastructure operators model potential scenarios, locate vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, and implement improvements before an actual disaster occurs.
Resilience cannot be achieved by telecommunications companies alone. Governments, utilities, emergency services, healthcare providers, technology companies, community organizations, and other infrastructure stakeholders all have roles to play in preparing for increasingly complex climate-related disruptions.
Nokia's participation in New York City Climate Week from September 20–24 is focused on discussions around resilience and collaboration across these interconnected ecosystems. The company is also participating in a CGI Climate Working Session on Digital Resilience, with further initiatives and actions expected to emerge from these discussions.
Nokia's participation in New York City Climate Week from September 20–24 is focused on discussions around resilience and collaboration across these interconnected ecosystems. The company is also participating in a CGI Climate Working Session on Digital Resilience, with further initiatives and actions expected to emerge from these discussions.