What if the same cellular towers and fiber optic cables carrying your phone calls could also predict earthquakes, prevent accidents, or even monitor your health? Far from science fiction, this convergence of networking and sensing is moving rapidly from research labs to real-world deployments. Nokia is pioneering what it calls “networks as a sensor,” infrastructure that doesn’t just connect us, but perceives the world around us, with the potential to save lives, protect the planet, and transform industries.
During a fascinating conversation with Peter Vetter, President of Bell Labs Core Research at Nokia, I discovered how the telecommunications giant is pioneering what they call “networks as a sensor,” a revolutionary approach that transforms existing infrastructure into a massive, interconnected sensing platform. This isn’t just about adding more sensors to networks; it’s about turning the networks themselves into sensors.
A Sixth Sense For Networks
Nokia envisions networks developing a “sixth sense,” able to pick up signals from the environment and, with AI, generate insights. This isn’t just monitoring data traffic but understanding the physical world. The company has trademarked the idea of creating “networks that sense, think and act.”
The technology leverages advances in 5G and emerging 6G capabilities, particularly the ability to create focused radio beams through large antenna arrays. These same beamforming technologies used to improve cellular connections can scan environments and analyze reflected signals, essentially turning cell towers into sophisticated radar systems.
From a business strategy perspective, this represents infrastructure convergence, where single systems serve multiple purposes simultaneously. Companies that master this convergence will achieve significant cost advantages while generating new revenue streams from previously untapped data sources.
From Radio Waves To Radar
The radio sensing applications are perhaps the most immediately compelling. Vetter demonstrated how Nokia has already built proof-of-concept systems that can detect human movement with half-meter accuracy. “We can detect humans, we can detect objects and machines,” he told me, describing experiments where people could walk through spaces and interact with systems simply through their detected movement.
The practical applications are striking. In factory environments where privacy concerns prevent camera surveillance, radio sensing offers an alternative approach to worker safety.
The technology goes beyond simple position detection. Through analyzing radio signal reflections, these systems can determine speed, detect vital signs like heartbeat and breathing patterns, and even recognize specific gestures. For businesses, this opens up entirely new categories of human-computer interaction that don’t require wearable devices or specific user actions.
For drone detection, this opens vital possibilities. As Vetter explained, future drones will need flight corridors and traffic rules and networks that can police and track them. Such capabilities will be essential for smart cities, logistics, and security as autonomous aerial vehicles proliferate.
Fiber Optics As Seismic Sensors
Even more surprising is how fiber optic cables can function as distributed sensor networks. Nokia discovered this capability somewhat accidentally when customers reported rodents damaging cables. The mechanical stress on the fiber changes the polarization of light passing through it, creating detectable signals that reveal far more than just cable health.
“We have been able to make observations of waves in the ocean, tectonic movements, ocean currents,” Vetter shared, describing experiments with submarine cables across the Atlantic. The applications for early warning systems are profound. “We can see tsunamis coming much earlier than how it’s done today. Current tsunami early warnings use buoys floating in the ocean tens of kilometers from shore, but that’s already too late. We can see that much deeper inside the ocean.”
Quantum: A New Dimension That Includes Sensing
Quantum technologies mark an extraordinary new frontier, opening possibilities once thought impossible. Among them, quantum sensing stands out as one of the most radical leaps forward in our ability to measure and understand the world. Unlike conventional sensors, quantum devices exploit the extreme sensitivity of particles to the slightest variations in temperature, pressure, gravity, or magnetism.
The possibilities are extraordinary. In medicine, quantum magnetic sensors could detect the tiny signals of individual neurons, revolutionizing our understanding of brain disorders. In navigation, quantum gravimeters could guide ships or aircraft without GPS. For natural disaster prediction, quantum sensors could identify subtle geological shifts to forecast earthquakes or volcanic eruptions earlier than ever before. And in space exploration, quantum photon detectors could capture signals across vast distances, extending our reach into the cosmos.
In short, quantum sensing gives humanity entirely new senses. By pioneering this field, Nokia is once again pushing the boundaries of science and technology, ensuring networks don’t just connect us but help us predict, protect, and explore in ways previously unimaginable.
A Sixth Sense For Humanity
Taken together, fiber, wireless, and quantum sensing create networks with a true sixth sense. This is not just technology for technology’s sake. It’s about preventing disasters before they happen, enabling safer workplaces, protecting privacy while enhancing security, and driving industries toward predictive, sustainable futures.
As Peter Vetter of Nokia Bell Labs put it, the aim is to build networks that “sense, think, and act.” For business leaders, the message is clear: sensing will transform operations from reactive to proactive, creating a new “sensing economy” where awareness is the ultimate competitive advantage.
The Strategic Imperative For Business Leaders
As I reflected on this conversation, what struck me most was how sensing networks represent a fundamental shift from reactive to proactive infrastructure. Instead of simply responding to problems after they occur, these systems can predict and prevent issues before they impact operations.
The convergence of ubiquitous connectivity, advanced signal processing, and artificial intelligence creates possibilities that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. We’re moving toward a world where our basic infrastructure becomes inherently intelligent, continuously monitoring and optimizing the physical environments we inhabit.
Preparing For The Sensing Economy
The network infrastructure we rely on daily is quietly transforming into something far more powerful: a global sensing system that will reshape how we understand and interact with the physical world. This shift will spark new competitive dynamics across every industry, from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and critical infrastructure.
Business leaders should begin preparing now, auditing existing infrastructure for hidden sensing potential, developing partnerships with pioneers like Nokia, and reimagining operations around the assumption of pervasive environmental awareness.
Those who embrace this shift early will not only thrive commercially but also help build safer, smarter, and more resilient societies. The future isn’t just connected, it’s comprehensively aware.