When connectivity saves lives – how do we create reliable systems?

An emergency vehicle is on its way to the scene of an accident. The crew in the vehicle are in constant contact with the control centre. An air ambulance hovers overhead, filming the scene; the footage will be vital when the police investigate what has happened. Every second counts; even brief interruptions in communication are enough to significantly impair the conditions for the operation.

The current system is not designed for video

Rakel, the current communications system for emergency services, was introduced in 2006 and is used by over 650 organisations and authorities. The system focuses on voice communication and is based on the well-established Tetra technology (a standard for digital radio communication developed in the 1990s). However, digitalisation has overtaken Rakel, which lacks modern support for sending data, for example in the form of video footage. 

In light of these new requirements, a new emergency services communication system has been developed: Swen (Swedish Emergency Network). The system is based on commercial operators’ 4G and 5G networks, supplemented by a so-called core network that manages, secures and monitors communications.

“The technical gap between Rakel and Swen is enormous,” notes Peter Janevik, CEO of the AstaZero test and demonstration facility at RISE.

"That is why it makes sense for the systems to be used in parallel for two years. The new technology offers great opportunities, but also brings with it new kinds of risks", he says. 

Connected emergency vehicles pave the way for V2X

Emergency services and other organisations within the total defence system place high demands on connected communication systems. It is, of course, important that all digital systems in vehicles are reliable, but when it comes to an ambulance or a police car, this becomes a matter of life and death. 

"It’s not acceptable for the connection to be lost when an emergency vehicle is dispatched to locations in the forests of Småland or the inland areas of Norrland. That would bring the entire operational system – which relies on vehicles on the front line communicating with the control centre or a senior officer – to a standstill. That is the fundamental difference between critical infrastructure use and civilian applications,” says Peter Janevik, adding:

"At the same time, we are moving towards a future where even civilian vehicles will be automated. One possible future scenario could be an ambulance needing to get past a traffic jam on a motorway. In that case, the connected ambulance could send a message to the connected cars in the queue, so that they automatically move aside and let the emergency vehicle through. With Swen, this type of communication between connected vehicles – known as V2X or Vehicle-to-Everything – becomes possible."

Calls for testing on private networks

For communication systems to be approved for critical infrastructure use, they must have a reliability of 99.999 per cent. This corresponds to approximately five minutes of downtime per year when the system is in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This level has been deemed acceptable. To achieve this ‘five nines’ standard, the systems must be thoroughly tested and verified. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is responsible for the roll-out of Swen, but every organisation using the system (including the police, emergency services, ambulances and the Swedish Armed Forces) will need to ensure that their vehicles and other applications work in conjunction with the new network. As Swen is also to be updated on an ongoing basis, there is a continuous need for testing and verification.

"That process requires private networks that can be configured in various ways. If you try to carry out the tests on a commercial, open network, there is a risk of making mistakes that could disrupt communications for an entire neighbourhood. When we carry out tests on our private network at AstaZero, that sort of configuration error doesn’t have such serious consequences. We can run the tests when no one else is using the network and simply restart it if it goes down", says Peter Janevik.

Which stakeholders need to work together to enable Sweden to take a leading role in future-proofing communication systems for critical applications? 

"The people who will be using the systems play an incredibly important role. The same goes for those who develop the various components of the systems. This includes private telecoms companies, but also developers of subsystems such as handheld devices and other applications. Software developers who build support systems for staff and other functions also need to be involved in this collaboration. Last but not least, we need a neutral party that can contribute interdisciplinary expertise and testing resources", says Peter Janevik.

He emphasises that communication systems need to be tested at the system level, not just at the component level. He illustrates this with his built-in webcam, which is not working during this interview.

"I’m sure that both the PC and the webcam work individually, but after a system update they stopped working together. If this were an emergency vehicle and its communications equipment, it would have been completely unacceptable. When you make changes or updates to complex systems, it’s quite easy for this to have unexpected knock-on effects", he says, and goes on to explain:

"Swen will also need to be updated, as will its various components. Every time an update is carried out, we need to test that the whole system still works." 

What do decision-makers in the emergency services and total defence need to prioritise now in order to manage the transition from Rakel to Swen?

"Effective project delivery is crucial; it is important to establish an organisation and a structure that ensure you do not run into the problems we have seen with other digital system roll-outs in the public sector. Here, it is important to make use of the experience and resources that are available. All transitions come with unforeseen problems, but those who have sought support right from the start are better equipped to deal with them", says Peter Janevik.