RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) have signed a research agreement to strengthen Sweden’s capacity for secure and reliable communication for essential societal functions. The collaboration includes the development of new methods and processes for future communication solutions in next-generation 4G/5G networks, connected to the new national communications system SWEN – The Swedish Emergency Network.
Sweden is facing a major technological shift where today’s Tetra-based Rakel system will be replaced by SWEN, a modern LTE/5G communication network for emergency services, civil protection, security forces, critical infrastructure operators and other mission-critical organisations. To ensure robustness, interoperability and security in this new infrastructure, research, testing and method development are required.
Through the agreement, RISE – at the AstaZero technology infrastructure outside Borås – together with MSB, develop methodologies and test environments for evaluating user equipment and systems.
“This collaboration is an important step in ensuring robust and secure communications for public safety. Together with MSB, we are strengthening Sweden’s capability and readiness in the area of mission-critical communications, says Monika Fuller, Vice President Vehicle and Automation at RISE.
AstaZero offers advanced testing capabilities with multiple 4G and 5G networks, where roaming scenarios, interoperability and system behaviours can be studied across different types of terrain and radio conditions. This makes it possible to validate and verify how the technology performs in realistic and challenging environments before being deployed as reliable mission-critical services within the framework of SWEN – The Swedish Emergency Network.
“The development of emergency communications and future connected, automated transport systems shares many common technical challenges. At AstaZero, we can drive development in parallel and create synergies between these areas,” says Peter Janevik, CEO of AstaZero.
“For MSB, this collaboration provides an opportunity to build up the testing capacity and methodology needed to quality-assure and evaluate future communication solutions for the police, rescue services, ambulance organisations and other mission-critical organisations,” says Ronny Harpe, Head of Mission Critical Communications at MSB.
The work aims to develop common standards and procedures that strengthen Swedish research and development within the area of mission-critical services, and to contribute to new methods for testing and verifying solutions for critical infrastructure. The initiative is part of the long-term effort to enhance Sweden’s preparedness and capability to meet future demands for reliable mission-critical communications.
The collaboration will run throughout 2026 and includes the development of test methods for user terminals, interoperability and cybersecurity.
Read the full press release here >