In keeping with the engineering acceptance achieved in mid-2024, the implementation of the swap to the Airbus Tetrapol IP technology was completed by Eviden at the end of last year for all Polycom transmission sites, the national security radio network for rescue and security organisations in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. 

In 2015, the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) and the 26 cantons of Switzerland including Liechtenstein decided to modernise the entire Polycom network, including the core network and the Radio Access Network (RAN), and replace the Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology with the Airbus Tetrapol IP technology as part of the Werterhalt Polycom 2030 (WEP2030) project. To meet the high level of expectations of the end customers, on the hardware side, Airbus engineers defined new specifications for Multimode Base Station (MBS) radio frequency cables that are only used in Switzerland. On the software side, major improvements were made by using the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for IP synchronisation.

In accordance with the migration plan set in 2021, all in all, over 870 MBSs and 60 switches have been deployed and the customer emphasised the improved voice quality compared with TDM. The complete renewal of the network secures the customer’s investment in Tetrapol until 2035, giving them time to prepare for migration to broadband technologies. The renewal will continue throughout 2025, with the installation of Lag IP gateways to modernise connections between control rooms in the 26 cantons of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The dismantling of the TDM infrastructure will be staggered until the end of 2025.

Deployed since 2003, Polycom is used by close to 60,000 users from the police, fire brigade, emergency services and the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security.