A consortium of Cassidian and Ericsson successfully completed the Schengen project for development of the TETRA radio network in Bulgaria. Following this latest extension, the secure radio communication network now includes a further 50 fixed and three mobile TETRA base stations. This has doubled the size of the network to 111 TETRA base stations. The Bulgarian public safety forces, particularly the national border police and fire brigades, will thus enjoy smooth, secure, digital radio communications across more than 80% of Bulgaria's territory.

The cooperation dates back to 2002, when the Bulgarian Government decided to set up a nationwide TETRA network. The extension project, which was awarded in 2009 and executed in partnership with Ericsson Telecommunications Bulgaria, also involved setting up the backbone transmission network (120 microwave systems), including a state-of-the-art platform for wireless transmission (Mini-Link Traffic Node) and site-related activities.

Secure and reliable communication is one of the prerequisites for the successful undertaking of crisis operations by public safety forces. The TETRA radio network now used by the Bulgarian Government for communication and dispatching can also support numerous extremely useful data applications, which Cassidian demonstrated to the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior over the course of 2010.

"Cassidian is proud to have experienced such excellent cooperation with the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior and with its consortium partner, Ericsson, on a project of such great significance. The extended national TETRA network provided by us will make it easier for the Bulgarian public safety forces to carry out their daily missions," says Hans Holmberg, Sales Vice-President of Security & Communication Solutions at Cassidian Systems. "In addition, all of us at Cassidian firmly believe that this project is a strong asset for Bulgaria, as it significantly improves secure communication capabilities at the Bulgarian borders."