(Guest article by Vodafone)
Critical infrastructure providers such as the police, fire services, emergency services, transport operators, and energy suppliers face an increasingly complex challenge:
They must be able to communicate in real time, securely, reliably, and in encrypted form – even under extreme conditions. MCX is a revolution in public safety and critical infrastructure communications. However, for applications such as these to function reliably, one thing is needed above all else across the board: high-performance, resilient mobile networks.
Without high-performance mobile networks, day-to-day operations today would be virtually impossible. Yet many public sector communication systems in Europe still rely on TETRA – a technology that supports voice transmission only and is based on the outdated 2G standard.
But modern operational scenarios, large crowds or dynamic emergency situations demand far more:
Real-time voice, photo, and video recordings provide emergency services with crucial additional information.
This is precisely where Vodafone’s LTE and 5G networks come in – with reliable, broadband mobile coverage that provides the foundation for modern, multimedia operational communications. Vodafone’s 4G and 5G networks cover virtually all relevant frequency bands – from the 700 MHz range for coverage to 3.6 GHz for very high data rates. This means that sufficient capacity is already available for public safety organisations.
5G: more than just real-time transmission
Two key factors are crucial in emergency situations: time and security.
The latest generation of mobile communications delivers both. Communication via 5G is not ‘just faster’ and possible in real time; it also ensures the integrity and confidentiality of communications at all times through end-to-end encryption.
Roaming as a security concept: borderless networks instead of isolated solutions
To ensure that MCX functions reliably across national borders, a simple yet effective principle is required, and Vodafone is working closely with other organisations to implement this.
In the current use case, this means:
When emergency services operate abroad, their connections continue to run over their domestic secure network. This ensures that authorities always retain full control over their communications in critical situations.
To ensure this connection remains stable everywhere, regardless of location, the required quality levels for voice, video, or data can be requested in other countries and provided there through roaming partnerships.
The plan for the future is therefore as follows:
If a device belonging to a critical infrastructure entity connects to a foreign cell, prioritised communication within the network is also ensured here. All content remains securely end-to-end encrypted throughout.
In such cases, the public foreign mobile network serves merely as a ‘guest network’, providing the necessary bandwidth and prioritisation. In this way, a communication system usable across Europe will emerge that is secure yet functions flexibly across different mobile networks.
A call for tenders from the BDBOS for roaming partnerships with German telecommunications providers is expected in Germany in the coming weeks. Final implementation of this principle is expected in the coming years.
Conclusion
Secure communication is the digital backbone for critical infrastructure organisations, for Germany, and for Europe. It not only lays the foundation for reliable cooperation, but is also the building block upon which everything relies in an emergency – and in the future, across national borders as well.
This is precisely why reliable and resilient mobile networks in Germany and Europe have become indispensable: they provide the technical foundation that already meets the requirements of the police, emergency services, and other critical infrastructure institutions today.
Solutions such as Mission-Critical Communications (MCX) are being consistently developed to enable communication that meets current requirements. Roaming and satellite solutions provide cross-border connectivity across Europe and ensure stability even when traditional infrastructure reaches its limits.
👉 Find out everything about MCX here:
MCX: The future of operational communications for public safety and critical infrastructure
Teamwire and Frequentis: How MCX will work in practice
Vodafone continues to invest in its own mobile networks to offer greater network capacity, coverage, and data rates.
One thing is clear: the communication for critical infrastructure of the future will be
- mobile,
- data-driven,
- encrypted and
- cross-border
and they will be underpinned by modern, future-proof mobile networks. This is exactly what we are working on every day.
Would you like to see Teamwire and MCX in practice?
Find out how Teamwire, in collaboration with Frequentis, is already building with MCX compatibility in mind for emergency communications.
Request a free demo now:
