New C2000 emergency service communications network now operational
Last night's scheduled migration from the current communications network to the new C2000 system has been successful. The network was upgraded in order to keep facilitating effective mobile communications between the emergency services in future and to ensure their safety. The migration process had been carefully prepared over the past few months by the national police, ambulance service, fire service and users at the Ministry of Defence under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice and Security.
Over 80,000 emergency service providers use C2000 to communicate with the control room and each other 24/7. In addition to their day-to-day activities, they use the secure system during major incidents and disasters. The current C2000 voice network was put on standby for several hours during the migration in the night of 27 January while the new network became operational. As a result, mobile radio telephones and walkie-talkies did not have any coverage for several hours, as planned. As a workaround, the emergency services carried out their work using alternative procedures and means of communication, such as mobile phones. This allowed the provision of emergency services to continue as normal without any noticeable disruption for residents. The emergency number 112 also remained accessible. Nationwide coverage was restored immediately after migration to the upgraded C2000 communications network.
Emergency service providers will continue to use their current mobile radio telephones and walkie-talkies. Like its predecessor, the new network is based on the international TETRA standard. As with any new system, the new C2000 network will take some getting used to for both users and system administrators. The performance of the upgraded voice network will thus be monitored intensively over the coming period. Additional support will be provided to resolve any teething problems.