Elisa, Sensofusion Form Drone Detection Venture
Joint venture Masthead Oy will pair Sensofusion's drone detection technology with Elisa's mobile networks in Finland and Estonia.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Telecommunications
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Elisa Corporation and Sensofusion Plc have established a joint venture, Masthead Oy, which has already begun operations. The company is jointly owned 50% by each partner and will deploy drone detection capabilities across Elisa's mobile network infrastructure in Finland and Estonia.
Why it matters
Both public and private sectors in Finland and Estonia have identified a need to strengthen drone detection as drone activity has increased and the security environment has changed rapidly. The venture is intended to give authorities and critical infrastructure operators better real-time situational awareness across Europe's broader drone detection market.
Masthead Oy fuses Sensofusion's sensor technology with Elisa's existing mobile network infrastructure to detect drones using multimodal methods. The extraction does not provide specific detection range, sensor count, or performance metrics.
The players
Elisa Corporation
Elisa Corporation is a Finnish telecommunications company that operates mobile network infrastructure in Finland and Estonia.
Sensofusion Plc
Sensofusion Plc is a company that develops drone detection sensor technology.
The details
The joint venture brings Sensofusion's sensor technology onto Elisa's digital infrastructure, which is intended to support authorities and critical infrastructure operators. The name Masthead refers to the lookout post at the top of a ship's mast.
Timeline
Masthead Oy was announced on November 11, 2026, and has already begun operations.
The Tech Race
Masthead Oy repurposes existing mobile network infrastructure as a drone detection layer rather than building separate sensor systems. This positions telecom operators as security infrastructure providers alongside their connectivity business.
For most people, the venture will not change their phone service directly, but it may improve security around airports, ports, and other critical sites where drone threats are monitored. Residents of Finland and Estonia may see drone detection capabilities deployed on the mobile networks they already use.
The takeaway
Telecom networks are increasingly being adapted for security purposes, so the same infrastructure you use for calls and data may also help detect airborne threats. Watching how operators like Elisa define these new roles can clarify where connectivity ends and public safety begins.
Further reading
For more on how network operators are expanding their role, explore Telecommunications coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Di.
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