So that police & co. can communicate in crisis situations
The federal government will conduct a pilot project for a mobile broadband security communications system. This is intended to provide insights into how mobile communications between emergency organizations can be ensured even in crisis situations and when the existing mobile network is overloaded.
Police, fire departments, ambulance services, operators of critical infrastructures and other civil protection organizations must be able to exchange large volumes of data on the move. And this also applies when the existing mobile networks are overloaded or damaged - for example, after natural disasters or a terrorist attack. A uniform system that guarantees mobile broadband security communications for the federal government, cantons and third parties in all situations is currently lacking in Switzerland, as the Federal Council recently announced.
On behalf of the department of Federal Councillor Amherd, the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) has carried out clarifications: These showed that a mobile broadband security communication system (MSK) was considered urgent by all the agencies involved, including the interested cantons, and that there was a high level of willingness to cooperate, according to the Federal Council's statement. Various organizations are already working on specific solutions. In order to bring about a uniform solution throughout Switzerland, coordination of the solution approaches is indispensable, according to the federal government.
Pilot project for Switzerland-wide security communication system
According to the Federal Council, with the aim of gaining new insights and exchanging experiences, validating and verifying the technical and conceptual results, and consolidating the various requirements of future users, the Department of Defense, under the leadership of the FOCP, will carry out a pilot project for a Switzerland-wide MSK between 2020 and 2023. Federal and cantonal agencies, especially from the rescue and security sector, will be involved. However, the Federal Office of Police, the Federal Intelligence Service and other federal offices as well as interested operators of critical infrastructures and public mobile network operators are also involved.
An MSK is to use existing and planned infrastructures of the public mobile radio operators as well as the partner organizations of the civil protection and to supplement them with crisis-resistant and secure elements in such a way that mobile data communication for the Confederation, cantons and third parties is ensured in all situations.
Additional safety gain
A mobile broadband security communications system would add secure mobile data communications to the national secure data sharing system (SDVS) adopted by parliament in September 2019 and to the existing Polycom security radio system, the federal government stresses in its announcement. This would enable an additional security gain to be realized, as the blue-light organizations in particular would be better able to perform their tasks even in the event of disasters or terrorist attacks, it says.
According to the Federal Council, the regulation of responsibilities and the division of tasks between the federal government, the cantons and operators of critical infrastructures, as well as the division of costs for a future nationwide MSK, are explicitly taken into account in the total revision of the Federal Law on Civil Protection and Civil Defence, which was approved by parliament in December 2019. In addition, the revision of the Telecommunications Act has already stipulated that security communications should be available in all situations.
The DDPS will submit a proposal to the Federal Council by the end of 2023 at the latest on how to proceed, it concludes.
Source: Confederation
