The test successfully prioritised emergency services on the city’s public network – the first such trial at-scale in a real-life environment
Madrid City Council and Orange Spain, part of the MasOrange Group, announce they have successfully tested emergency communication on a 5G Standalone priority network for emergency services. This is the first such test at-scale in a real-world scenario to demonstrate critical communications can work on public network with guaranteed priority in a city environment with a population of 200,000.
The solution tested includes Ericsson Ultra Compact Core (UCC) and radios that connect to Orange’s 5G SA public network or to the Madrid city dedicated emergency spectrum (Band 68), depending on different scenarios and needs.
According to Orange, the results were conclusive:
- Communications were to seven times faster on prioritised devices compared to ordinary devices
- Lower and stable latency which is key to features like call, inter-equipment coordination and data transmission.
- More stable performance by radios in areas of limited coverage where congestion normally compromises continuity of service.
This shows that even when thousands of people are using their mobiles simultaneously, emergency services still have a reliable and fast communication channel. It is envisioned this capability will be essential for big urban events, natural disasters, forest fire and areas with damaged or limited infrastructure.
The modernisation is paid for by NEXTGEN EU funds, managed by Spain’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Administration as part of initiatives to modernise and digitalise public services. This project makes Madrid Council a pioneer in digitalising emergency communications and it intended to provide a replicable model for other regions, including rural and hard-to-reach areas across Spain and beyond.
Ericsson announced a collaboration for Madrid Council with Orange (MasOrange Group) last December to equip the city’s public and emergency services – including police, fire brigades, and medical responders – with 5G SA connectivity.
“This project marks a milestone in the modernization of emergency services in Spain, as it guarantees secure and uninterrupted communications in the most demanding scenarios and places Madrid at the forefront of European innovation in the service of public safety. We are committed to offering robust, scalable solutions that are ready to save lives, thereby reinforcing our role as a strategic ally of public administrations,” said Joaquín Colino, General Director of B2B at MasOrange, said at the time..
