Nokia, State Security Networks Group Finland, Elisa and Helsinki Police Department successfully demonstrate prioritization of public safety communications over commercial LTE network

Public safety LTE testing continues in Finland, with Nokia, State Security Networks Group Finland, local operator Elisa and Helsinki Police Department recently teaming up to trial critical public safety communications over LTE in a real mobile network congestion situation. The successful test, employed in the Helsinki area during December, marks yet another step forward in the modernization of public safety communications in the country.

The existing TETRA-based public safety network will gradually be transitioning to a new technical solution with an aim to deliver public safety communications in co-operation with commercial operators. Giving public safety communications priority over other traffic, and ensuring the availability of critical services in a busy LTE network, is a prerequisite for using commercial networks in public safety communications. This requires exceptional network security and resiliency.

“The strength of cooperation between Finnish authorities such as police, paramedics, border control, defense forces and other key players responsible for society’s safety, depends on their communications capabilities. While the current TETRA-based public safety network will be in use for some time, work to replace it with next-generation technologies is well under way,” said Antti Kauppinen, Development Manager at State Security Networks Group Finland.

“Ensuring public safety communications, in any situation, is of paramount importance to us. We want to make sure that the authorities have the most technologically sophisticated services and high capacity to secure traffic optimization also in network congestion situations. The trial we employed in these exceptional circumstances demonstrates that Elisa’s network can flawlessly cater to public safety communications requirements,” said Sami Komulainen, head of Mobile Networks at Elisa.

“Transitioning public safety communications to LTE networks will provide many benefits, such as wide network coverage and high-speed data transfer which enables new capabilities, such as video, to enhance situational awareness. Our successful field trial shows that public safety communications can be secured by commercial LTE network solutions, powered by Nokia’s advanced network features,” said Pekka Sundström, Account Director at Nokia