Nødnett
mission-critical operations, following years of issues with
the previous technology, particularly around interoperability
and security.
At the same time – as in many other countries around
the globe – the potential benefits to be derived from critical
broadband are proving impossible for the Norwegian
government to ignore.
A variety of models
As mentioned, the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection
has recently been involved in the drafting of a formal concept
study, examining a range of potential models for the delivery
of mission-critical broadband. Work on the document began
in early autumn last year, prior to being completed and
delivered to the Norwegian government in early summer.
While unable to discuss the contents of the document in
too much detail at this stage, Myren was able to talk about
the context within which the new network is being planned
and delivered. This not only includes financial and political
considerations, but also – crucially – the ongoing programme
of cross-border co-operation taking place between Norwegian,
Finnish and Swedish emergency services.
Going into more detail about the concept study, Myren
says: “The document was put together by the DSB in
collaboration with the regulator Nkom the Norwegian
Communications Authority. It’s now sitting with the
Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Local Government
and Modernisation, undergoing a quality assurance process.
This will be the first of two.
“There will subsequently be another report produced by the
end of this year, which will ultimately provide the basis for
the government’s decision. The second quality assurance will
take place afterwards in order to look at procurement strategy,
costs and so on.”
She continues: “The study is focused on issues around
standardisation, as well as the availability of the technology
itself. We also need to examine the viability of using
commercial networks, and the availability of suitable devices.
One thing we know for certain is that we will not have
dedicated spectrum, and that the network has to be based on
standardised technology end-to-end.
“It’s clear that we’re currently in a learning phase, alongside
the rest of the world. We now have to decide how to move
forward, understand if our plans hold water, as well as looking
at contract strategy and any potential regulatory changes.”
Another key decision will relate to the technical and
commercial model on which the network is going to be
built. According to Myren, several potential alternatives have
been assessed in the study, with the hypothetical alternatives
running from ‘leave everything to the market’ to the state
itself becoming the service provider.
Another alternative, meanwhile, is to just do nothing,
something which Myren refers to as the “zero option”. With
the current Nødnett contract running out at the end of 2026,
this latter choice appears – at least from the outside – more or
less untenable.
User requirements
As anyone with an interest in the sector will know, the
questions outlined above are not necessarily easy to answer,
not least given the sheer number of moving parts when it
When you have a nationwide
network working well, it’s a real
challenge to suggest moving away from that
comes to projects of this scale and complexity. The potential
pitfalls are also massive if things go wrong, something
which has already been amply demonstrated by the UK
Home Office and its initial attempt to base ESN on nonstandardised
technology.
As well as questions around budget, technology and
political expediency, however, there are other – perhaps
even more important – considerations, centred in
particular around the user organisations themselves. Do
they actually want the exciting new functionality that is
being promised to them, or would they prefer to stay with
technology they can already rely on? If the latter, how do you
win them over?
Discussing this aspect of the current project, Myren says:
“When you have a nationwide TETRA network which is
working very well, as we do in Norway, it is a real challenge
to suggest moving away from that. The use-cases are obvious,
though – emergency services need to be able to leverage
mission-critical data or they risk being left behind.”
She continues: “We’ve made absolutely sure that we’ve
involved the users from the very earliest days of the
broadband project, and we included their input in the current
study. Most of them are actually taking advantage of LTE
already via individual MNO contracts, so it’s obvious that
they can see the potential value of the technology.
“It’s my impression that the users fully understand that
this is the future, and therefore the direction we’re likely
going to have to travel in. We’re already beginning to leverage
Motorola’s PTT-over-Cellular solution Kodiak as part of
Nødnett, which strongly indicates how things are becoming
more integrated. Obviously, that’s an over-the-top service on
the commercial networks, but it’s another step through which
we learn about mission-critical broadband.”
As mentioned above, one particular pain point for users
could relate to the cross-border interoperability currently
established between Nødnett (Norway), Virve (Finland) and
Rakel (Sweden). This enables all three countries’ emergency
services to share talk groups using their respective TETRA
networks, via the use of a standardised Inter-System Interface.
Addressing this, Myren says: “Our countries have long
borders, and as such it has been necessary to find a way for
us to support each other across what is often an incredibly
sparsely populated landscape. Clearly, it’s important for the
countries to maintain that going forward, and we’ve already
signed a letter of intent to that effect.
“Broadband will obviously provide the advantages of a
more data-rich environment when it comes to cross-border
working, but the users themselves will have to decide what
that actually means for them. For instance, how is the data
collected, and how is it shared?
“Again, that’s something which will have to be addressed
as we move forward, with obvious issues also existing
around legislation, training, as well as establishing common
procedures. We will have to put common plans in place, even
though each country is moving at a different pace when it
comes to mission-critical broadband.”
October 2020 @CritCommsToday 51