Emergency and preparedness communication is a specialized field, significantly smaller in scale than commercial telecommunications. It is crucial that the actors in this field collaborate across national borders.
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) works with relevant stakeholders in the Nordic region, Europe, and worldwide through committed cooperation, participation in various member organizations, professional networks, and EU-initiated projects.
DSB actively participates in international forums because information sharing, collective learning, and technological development help reduce risks and enable informed decision-making in the transition from dedicated TETRA networks (or similar) to the adoption of commercial 3GPP technology and networks.
Collaboration with Sweden and Finland
Cooperation with Sweden and Finland is particularly important. We have interconnected our TETRA networks to allow cross-border roaming and shared voice groups. We aim to maintain this interconnection during and after the transition to new broadband emergency networks and to plan further integration with more European countries. One challenge is that different countries have varying decision-making processes and are at different stages of development.
The Haga Cooperation and the Oslo conclusions
Nordic cooperation on civil protection and crisis preparedness was initiated and formalised in the Haga Declaration of 2009. Each year, the Nordic ministers responsible for civil security and crisis preparedness meet for dialogue and to further develop cooperation.
This collaboration was deepened with the new Haga-II Declaration, aligning with the Nordic Declaration of Solidarity from 2011.
The purpose of the Haga Cooperation is to ensure the citizens of the Nordic countries a safe and resilient society through cross-border collaboration—a robust Nordic region without borders. The agreement covers areas such as rescue services, fire prevention, and emergency communication.
The overarching goals are to reduce national vulnerabilities, enhance joint response capabilities, improve cost efficiency, and increase collective influence in European and international forums. These objectives are further detailed in the Oslo conclusions.
The Haga Development Goals 2019–2021 build on the Haga-II Declaration and follow up on the conclusions from Helsinki 2016, as well as the chairmanship reports from Iceland (2017) and Sweden (2018). During 2019–2021, the Haga Cooperation focused on CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive threats), forest and wildfires, and emergency communication.
Norway had a special responsibility for leading the work on emergency communication. The focus was on ensuring that the benefits achieved through cross-border emergency communication are maintained and developed in future systems.
International meeting places
As a center of expertise, system owner, and service provider for Nødnett, DSB participates in various international forums. The exchange of information and experiences benefits all actors working in emergency preparedness, whether the focus is on policy development, understanding needs and users, operations, development and management, or collaboration.
The Department for Emergency and Preparedness Communication represents DSB in different forums and follows up on national matters. Below are some key forums and meeting places in the field of emergency and preparedness communication.
NCCOM (Nordic Critical Communication Operator Meeting) (formerly NTOM)
A meeting place for the Nordic TETRA operators. Learning and exchange of experience are in focus when representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway meet with the intention of continued robust and borderless emergency communication in the Nordic region. NCCOM is following up on guidelines from the Haga collaboration.
TCCA (The Critical Communication Association)
A global membership organization that leads the way in the development of standardized, critical communication solutions for professional users. Its members consist of authorities, manufacturers, operators and end-users, and the organisation's purpose is to discuss and develop the market for the benefit of all. DSB is a member, and since 2019, DSB's department for emergency and emergency communication has been represented on TCCA's board. DSB actively contributes to various working groups, including the Critical Communications Broadband Group (CCBG) and the Law and Regulatory Working Group (LRWG).
MCCG (European Commission, Mission Critical Communication Expert Group)
An expert group for contributions to the preparation of laws and regulations for the European Critical Communications System (EUCCS). DSB participates and represents Norway.
PSCE (Public Safety Communications Europe Forum)
A European organisation specialising in applying for EU funding and carrying out projects in the field of Public Safety Communication. Representatives from public safety organizations, industry, and research institutions meet to discuss and exchange ideas and best practices, develop visions and roadmaps, and prepare for the future of emergency public communication with cross-border communication and interaction.
PSRG (Public Safety Radio Communications Group)
A loosely organised meeting place for European emergency network operators and users. The most important purpose is information and experience sharing, and there are participants from over 20 European countries.
Dimetra User Forum
A technical-level meeting place for organizations using Motorola's technology. The organisations meet to discuss common issues.
RCEG- LEWP (Radio Communication Expert Group – Law and Enforcement Party)
An EU body for police organisations in EU countries. RCEG is a specialist group for radio communications, voice and broadband data. RCEG-LEWP discusses issues related to public authorities' radio communication with a focus on police-related issues.
GPSOC (Global Public Safety Operator Conference)
A strategic meeting place for leaders of Nødnett worldwide. Status updates and exchange of experience with a focus on strategic issues.
EENA (European Emergency Number Association)
An important meeting place for emergency services. Focus on user needs and technology, including mobile population alerting, next-generation 112 and eCall.
3GPP and ETSI
The most important organisations for standardising the technology on which Nødnett and the new Nødnett are based.
BroadEU.net and the EU Critical Communication System (EUCCS)
An initiative to achieve seamless cross-border emergency and emergency communications in Europe, as Norway has with Sweden and Finland today. DSB participates in the knowledge development project BroadEU.net and represents Norway in the European Commission's expert group MCCG.