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GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Reliable connectivity is becoming a decisive factor in modern emergency response operations, where communication interruptions can directly impact safety, coordination and decision-making. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden is examining how future communication systems can deliver the reliability required for mission-critical applications through advanced testing, verification and cross-industry collaboration.
As emergency services become increasingly digitalised, traditional voice-focused communication systems are evolving toward new platforms capable of supporting real-time data, video and advanced operational tools. However, ensuring that these technologies perform reliably under demanding conditions requires comprehensive validation across the entire ecosystem — from networks and devices to applications and operational workflows.
As Swedish emergency services are facing a major technological shift, a long-serving system is set to be replaced by a new communications system that simplifies digital working methods in the field. But for the transition to succeed, collaboration, testing and verification are essential.
An emergency vehicle is on its way to the scene of an accident. The crew in the vehicle are in constant contact with the control centre. An air ambulance hovers overhead, filming the scene; the footage will be vital when the police investigate what has happened. Every second counts; even brief interruptions in communication are enough to significantly impair the conditions for the operation.
Modern emergency operations increasingly depend on more than voice communication. Field teams require access to live video, location information, sensor data and shared situational awareness to make faster and better-informed decisions.
RISE highlights that future emergency communication systems must support these digital capabilities while maintaining extremely high levels of reliability. For critical infrastructure applications, communication availability requirements can reach the “five nines” standard — approximately 99.999% reliability, equivalent to only a few minutes of downtime annually.
The transition toward next-generation emergency communication networks introduces significant opportunities, but also new technical challenges. Unlike traditional systems designed primarily for voice, future platforms must securely manage complex data flows and ensure uninterrupted connectivity in unpredictable environments.
According to RISE, comprehensive testing is a key element in building trust in future emergency communication systems. Complex digital ecosystems can experience unexpected issues when individual components, software updates or network configurations interact.
Testing only individual components is not sufficient. Mission-critical communication solutions must be evaluated as complete systems to ensure that networks, devices, applications and operational procedures continue to function together after upgrades or changes.
RISE emphasises the importance of dedicated testing environments, including private networks, where organisations can safely evaluate configurations, performance and resilience without affecting public communication infrastructure.
Reliable connectivity also creates opportunities for advanced vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. In future scenarios, connected emergency vehicles could exchange information with surrounding vehicles and infrastructure, helping improve response times and operational efficiency.
For example, an ambulance approaching a congested road could communicate with connected vehicles ahead to help create a clearer path, enabling faster access to emergency locations. Such capabilities depend on secure and dependable connectivity between vehicles, networks and control systems.
RISE stresses that successful deployment of future critical communication systems requires cooperation among multiple stakeholders, including emergency service organisations, telecom operators, technology providers, device manufacturers and software developers.
A neutral research and testing partner can help bring together different expertise areas, provide verification resources and support the development of reliable solutions for complex operational environments.
As emergency communication continues to evolve toward 4G and 5G-based platforms supporting voice, video and data services, ensuring reliability from the beginning will be essential. Through research, testing and collaboration, RISE aims to contribute to communication systems that remain dependable when every second matters.
