Evaluation of Nødnett TETRA Network during Extreme Weather Finalized
DNK, operator of the Norwegian Nødnett TETRA network wanted an external view of how the system performed during Tor. The evaluation confirms that DNK is on track.
The emergency services in Norway have high expectations of Nødnett. They use Nødnett every day and are mainly very satisfied with the network, says DNK director Tor Helge Lyngstøl.
Users expect Nødnett to work regardless of the weather and load. Unfortunately DNK experienced that some areas of the network experienced challenges during Tor, a hurricane storm with wind gusts of up to 35 to 50 meters per second (108-180 kph). This was the reason for the Norwegian Government to evaluate how Tor affected the Nødnett TETRA network and other related systems.
"The evaluation confirms that we already work with many of the right things. There were no major surprises in the evaluation. We will now take a thorough review of the proposed improvements and consider measures. We will also look at how we can minimize the impact of some of the vulnerable base stations", explains Lyngstøl.
The report also shows that some users got deficient operational information during Tor.
"DNK has started a project to go through the information lines from the operator to the end users", Lyngstøl said.
Nødnett is designed to get the best out of the available infrastructure. The report recommends, however, that action is taken to achieve greater robustness. However strengthening the robustness of the entire Nødnett Network is very costly. How far you will go is a political decision, according to Lyngstøl.
When covering a large area, many base stations are located in inaccessible areas, sometimes without electricity and road. It can not be assumed that the error be corrected quickly during extreme weather. During Tor, it was almost impossible to visit remote base stations and to correct errors or to refuel.
