Users of emergency and emergency communications need a future-oriented solution for communication and information sharing that is robust and secure with good coverage and capacity.
The underlying concept means that the new Nødnett will use the coverage from commercial mobile networks and that the state will own and manage the service platform that makes it possible to offer mission-critical Nødnett services with priority, through the mobile networks. Priority means that the Nødnett services take precedence in the event of incidents where the mobile networks are overloaded.
A new emergency network based on commercial mobile technology (4G/5G and further generations) enables emergency and emergency actors to exploit the innovative power of the mobile market.
The new Nødnett will be based on standardised interfaces between the core network and the solution for mission-critical services. The state will use various instruments, such as ownership, the Security Act, regulation, supervision and agreements, to achieve a sufficient degree of national control and proper security in the new Nødnett.
Good coverage will be maintained in the new Nødnett
It has been decided that coverage in the new emergency network will be provided by commercial mobile operators. Mobile coverage in Norway is overall very good, and all mobile networks have coverage where people live and mainly travel. The mobile networks are constantly improving and often have better indoor coverage than today's Nødnett, while Nødnett currently has somewhat better coverage than the mobile networks in areas where very few people live, for example in mountainous areas and national parks.
The work on the new Nødnett is looking at how the overall coverage in the mobile networks is to be utilised through national visitation. National guesting means that a user with a subscription with one mobile operator can use the radio network of the other mobile operators if their own operator does not have service. There can be various reasons for this; lack of coverage or that the network goes out.
The possibilities of establishing a radio network based on separate frequencies for low-flying aircraft are also being examined.
Portable solutions
In the work on the new Nødnett, we are looking at how to facilitate the use of different types of mobile solutions, distributed according to need, user groups and geography. There is great innovation and a lot of development in this area. Solutions range from smaller, portable solutions that can be carried in your backpack, to larger solutions for use over long periods of time.
There is also an increased use of drone solutions. There are a number of solutions that can be used both in the event of an outage of coverage and to establish coverage in areas where coverage has not been established. In the work on the new Nødnett, the use of low-orbit satellite systems will also be considered.
DSB wants to monitor, test and implement any new solutions that become available.
Possible reinforcements for coverage and robustness
The work on the new Nødnett is looking at opportunities to strengthen coverage in selected areas where it is important for the emergency and emergency actors to have coverage. One possible solution that is being considered is to use existing Nødnett infrastructure where none of the mobile operators currently have coverage. This is in national parks, for example, where it is not easy to build new ones.
When it comes to backup power, we know that there is better backup power in today's Nødnett than in the mobile networks. We therefore make cost-benefit assessments of upgrading backup power capacity and transmission at selected base stations. We analyze different scenarios for this, and also possible battery saving measures.
Mission-critical services: voice, data, and video in batches
A government solution will be established for mission-critical communication. DSB will deliver a secure platform for mission-critical services. Mission-critical services are services that are critically necessary for the emergency and emergency response actors to be able to fulfil their responsibility to save lives, health and assets. This includes emergency network services such as group functionality, which is not offered to a large extent by the Norwegian mobile operators today. In addition to voice, there will be opportunities to send data and video in groups.
In order to use the services offered in the new Nødnett, an application is required on the users' communication equipment. By getting services for sharing data and video in groups - across - on Nødnett, it will give users better security and priority, rather than having their own solutions on other platforms. The services will be developed in line with international standards (3GPP).
Furthermore, the state will handle the emergency actors' subscriptions and customer relationships, as in today's Nødnett.
New mobile devices
The transition to a new emergency network requires that TETRA terminals are replaced with mobile phones and other equipment adapted to different communication needs. This is a comprehensive job, as all vehicles, boats and helicopters that currently use Nødnett must have new communication equipment.
The user organisations are responsible for their mobile devices such as mobile phones/terminals, tablets, etc. and associated apps. User organisations finance user equipment. DSB will recommend central, parallel framework agreements for all users in the new Nødnett.
The requirements specification will be based on existing and ongoing standardization work.
Handheld Device Requirements
Operators of essential communications services in the Nordic region have drawn up common requirements for the design and characteristics of mobile and robust terminals that will be used in the next generation of communication systems, such as the new Nødnett. Country-specific requirements will be announced through national procurement processes, and may vary due to product maturity and market availability. The document focuses on rugged handheld devices to be used in harsh conditions. Similar requirements for other uses may be published at a later date.
Read the document PPDR Rugged Handheld Device for heavy use.
Control room in new Nødnett
Control rooms that currently use ICCS will receive a new communication solution over the next few years from the procurements that are now underway at the emergency services. The new ICCS will prepare the operations centres for a new emergency network in the control rooms. New communication solutions will need further adaptations in the transition to a new emergency network.
Facilitates further development
The concept chosen is suitable for safeguarding opportunities for further development of solutions and services in line with the needs of the emergency and emergency response actors. It is largely the users themselves who know which services they need and who must be connected to the new Nødnett system.