The alarm sounds – and the transmission must not fail. Ensuring vital emergency communications information gets through can mean the difference between life and death. As the current communication system is replaced by a new one based on 5G, the testing methods for a more robust system are already in place.
The current communication system for emergency services, Rakel, has been in use since 2006 and is well established. However, the system focuses on voice communication and does not have modern support for sending messages via apps or video from drones, which is what emergency services need today.
A new system, Swen (The Swedish Emergency Network), is being introduced to transmit data, video and voice.
“With systems that are supposed to be very reliable, you can’t have a phase where they don’t work. Everything has to work immediately, so you must supplement that with testing to find any bugs before you put the systems into service. Everything you use to give the ambulance a route, for example, has to be compatible – such as phones, drones and apps,” says Peter Janevik.
In the timetable from Swedish Civil Defence Agency (MSB – Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap), 2025-2027 is dedicated to construction, testing and evaluation. In 2028, Swen will become operational, while Rakel will continue to be the basis for operations. After evaluation, there will be a transition period of two years during which Rakel and Swen will be used in parallel. The aim is that everyone currently using Rakel will have switched to Swen by 2030.
Before MSB approves new equipment and applications, they must be tested. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden contributes to this through its expertise at AstaZero and other test and demonstration facilities within RISE.
“The EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) facility in Borås provides component-level test facilities where you can see if the equipment meets the requirements. And at AstaZero Proving Ground outside Gothenburg, we can then test that the entire networks work as intended, because we can configure our networks as if they were MSB’s networks,” says Peter Janevik.
Visit EMC and Wireless Communication to learn more
Rakel and Swen – two systems for mission-critical communication
• The term Mission Critical Communication (MCC) is used when it is important that a complete message is delivered.
• The current communication system, Rakel, and the upcoming system, Swen, are two types of Mission Critical Communication.
• Rakel, which was operational from 2006 to 2010, focuses on voice and is based on the so-called Tetra technology, a standard for digital radio communication developed in the 1990s. This was before the era of smartphones, when data speeds were slower than today.
• Swen is based on 5G technology and handles voice, data and video.
• Rakel is used by more than 650 organisations and authorities in Sweden, including the police, defence, emergency services, public transport, energy companies, municipalities, regions and county councils.
• The aim is for all organisations currently using Rakel to switch to the new Swen system by 2030.