Frequentis completes first virtual site acceptance test with Norwegian Public Safety Agencies

Frequentis has continued software release delivery and the execution of "remote" software acceptance, helping the Norwegian public safety authorities tackle the increased amount of telephone calls during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We are delighted to serve our Norwegian customers with our highly resilient control room solution and services that fully utilise the capabilities of the secure, digital radio network Nødnett for all emergency services in Norway. We have been working together for more than 15 years, supporting agency cross-collaboration throughout Norway,” says Frequentis CEO Norbert Haslacher. “Because of the restraints due to the coronavirus, our teams both in Vienna and Norway quickly developed digital alternatives to continue support for Nødnett.”

In the week before Easter, the Nødnett team performed the first “distributed remote” software acceptance test in the project’s history. This software acceptance was especially important because it is to form the baseline for the upcoming midlife upgrade for all police and health service control rooms in Norway in 2020.

To cope with the challenging situation, extraordinary solutions were devised. The software test was performed by a virtual team located in five different countries on a test system located in Norway. In addition to the audio communication between the customer and Frequentis test team members, screen sharing was provided in two steps – various web-based platforms were in use throughout the entire test processes. The successful software acceptance was only made possible because of the excellent cooperation of the entire test team and the strong contribution from the customer side. DSB also expressed their satisfaction with this innovative approach and the level of cooperation with Frequentis.

The extraordinary contribution from the Nødnett team at a time where the customer is dependent on a seamless communication solution was also demonstrated during a remote system expansion with six VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) operator working positions. Control rooms, especially in the Oslo area, are currently struggling with three times more telephone calls than normal. The emergency control room expansion was jointly conducted between a local customer team and a Frequentis task force, established to consult the customer and remotely integrate and configure the Integrated Communication & Control System (ICCS) 3020.