Operator announces first 5G Cyber Defense Center in Europe, says experience from more than 15 military field trials including tactical bubbles – make it a leading reference within NATO
In what felt like a sign of the times, Telefónica launched (see picture*) what it calls the first Center for Development, Training, and Testing for Military Operations in Cyber Defense with 5G Technology in Europe. Mercifully, in common use this will be shortened to 5G Cyber Defense Center.
The operator said its track record in the creation and deployment of multi-domain 5G tactical bubbles – by land, sea, air, and cyberspace – resulted in this collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Defence. Its technological solutions will be included in one of NATO’s projects at the end of this month.
Javier López Gutiérrez, Director of Defense and Security at Telefónica Spain, states: “In 2026, we are consolidating all the efforts we have been making since 2022 to position ourselves as a benchmark in 5G in the field of Security and Defense, both in Spain and in the European Union and NATO.
“With this 5G development and testing center, geared towards an international organization of the size of the Atlantic Alliance, our armies and navy are becoming an authority in promoting not only hyperconnectivity, but also other cutting-edge enabling technologies such as AI, edge computing, and quantum computing for their benefit.
“All of this has allowed Telefónica to consolidate its position as a leader in the deployment of next-generation communications, combining innovation, operational capacity, and extensive experience in mission-critical environments.”
Spain contributes to European sovereignty
The 5G Cyber Defense Center was developed by the operator with the Armed Forces Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE) and is located in the Community of Madrid. It will be integrated into NATO Digital Foundry, an Alliance initiative that tests solutions, using NATO’s own data from the member countries’ defence industry, and expands their use in the military environment.
This center protects communications between different assets of the Ministry of Defence, such as radars, drones, weapons systems, barracks and combatants themselves. It also develops use cases in operational areas, to assess the strengths and areas for improvement of 5G in such a demanding environment.
Research and development work is also carried out at the centre, along with training for Armed Forces personnel and the study of AI tools to detect and prevent cyberattacks in advanced environments such as 5G tactical bubbles with multiple nodes.
The 5G Cyber Defense Center has been chosen by NATO’s Communication and Information Agency (NCIA) to join its NATO Digital Foundry initiative. This is a pioneering programme to establish an open and secure platform for NATO member countries and entities to develop, test and scale emerging and disruptive technologies at all stages.
To this end, NATO Digital Foundry provides the basic data infrastructure, tools, expertise, and testing environments necessary to channel technological advances in the coming years and create new standards that will keep Alliance countries at the forefront of the various digital threats that arise.
More information here.
* From left to right. Jesús Abraham, Defense Strategy & Innovation Head at Telefónica; Teniente Coronel Jesús Aparicio, Testing & Validation Center Head at Spanish Army CIS Branch; Capitán de Navío Manuel García Ruiz, Head of CIS branch at Spanish Navy Staff; Comandante Miguel Izaguirre, Fighters branch at Spanish Air Force; Comandante Jaime Calvo, CIS branch at Spanish Cyberspace Joint Command; y Carlos de la Cuesta, Defence Programs Director at Telefónica
