How are Swedish emergency services preparing for the move to broadband, both from a technological and cultural perspective?
In general, the knowledge about broadband within Swedish emergency services is still quite low, except certain authorities and organisations. Because of this, ideas and preparations differ a lot.
Emergency services need to shift their focus from traditional voice communication in fixed talk groups to modern information sharing, where access and permissions are more flexible and constantly changing.
They also need to change how they think about the equipment. In the past, a radio was seen as a technical device with antennas, signal strength, and radio frequencies. In the future, it should be seen as a tool for sharing information, which can be used anywhere and in many different ways.
The devices and technology must be user friendly and give capabilities to simplify the tasks.
But changing mindsets and working culture takes time, and unfortunately, time is what we have the least of right now.
In what ways is broadband anticipated to improve coordination and interoperability between first responder organisations?
There is good interoperability and standard operating procedures today in TETRA between first responders. This will be improved in Broadband since the biggest benefit is that it allows much more than just voice communication.
With the current TETRA system, the focus has been on speech. Broadband, together with technologies like MCX, adds many more ways to support emergency work
Broadband enables sharing information in a way that fits the situation, for example, through video, images, or data messages. Not everything needs to be spoken.
This helps first responders work faster and smarter, and improves coordination between different agencies by having the same situational picture. It also supports better decision-making during both daily operations and large emergencies.
What’s the level of consultation and user involvement when it comes to the roll-out of the new network?
Sweden has a unique system where many public agencies work together but also have their own responsibilities and independence. This makes it challenging to involve users in a consistent way across the country. One public authority might see very different needs and uses for the new network compared to another.
Because of this, there must be many discussions to understand each other’s situations and find common ground. It’s important that the network works not just in big crises, but also during everyday operations. We are working to make sure these conversations happen and that all the different needs are listened to and taken into account.
There are some bigger user organisations that are leading, but constantly having good dialog and collaboration with other organisations since the next generation system is for the whole of Sweden and its total defense.
How is cross-border interoperability between Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian emergency services planned to continue?
Cross-border cooperation between Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway is very important, especially in regions where borders are close. The plan is to continue developing joint solutions so that emergency services in each country can communicate with each other without problems, even when using new broadband technologies.
Sweden also works closely with Norway on this issue, and cooperation is strong both on the technical and operational level. Together, we aim to ensure that systems and procedures are aligned, making it easier to provide mutual support across borders.
There are ongoing efforts to agree on common standards and systems that allow secure and effective communication across national borders. The goal is to make sure that teams can support each other and work together smoothly during joint operations, accidents near borders, or large-scale incidents affecting more than one country.
Fredrik Ryberg is superintendent and head of operations RG2 at the Swedish Police Authority.
David Högberg is a fire chief and senior adviser, SOS alarm.
Christian Bohlin is an IT strategist in Swedish Health Care.
Critical Communications World 2025 takes place from 17th to the 19th of June at the Brussels Expo.
