Ireland Introduces National Roaming Arrangement for Emergency Services Across All Three Mobile Networks

Ireland's Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) has put in place a national roaming arrangement across the country's three mobile network operators, eir, Three Ireland and Vodafone, for the mission-critical communications used by first responders. The arrangement was welcomed at the National Ploughing Championships by Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment, Frank Feighan. It is intended to strengthen the resilience of mobile communications for Ireland's emergency services.

Under the new arrangement, compatible devices and applications used by first responders can connect to whichever participating mobile network is available, rather than relying on a single operator. This provides greater resilience should one network be unavailable or experiencing disruption. The arrangement will support organisations including An Garda Síochána, the fire services, the National Ambulance Service and Civil Defence.

For more than two decades, Ireland's emergency services have relied on TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio), a narrowband digital radio system built for voice and short text messaging. While TETRA has served frontline responders reliably for voice communications, it was never designed to carry the live video, mapping, imagery and data that underpin modern emergency response. The roaming capability forms part of the OGCIO's wider work to modernise emergency communications and support the transition from traditional radio systems to next-generation mobile broadband technology capable of carrying voice, video, mapping and operational data.

Telemetry from a device connected to the new multi-operator framework showed an OGCIO emergency services SIM card on a Druid Raemis private network successfully maintaining critical LTE and 5G connectivity while roaming natively onto eir infrastructure. Druid Software CEO Liam Kenny and CTO Derek Gallagher also tested the voice capability of devices connected to the OGCIO emergency services network.

Over the coming months, first responders will begin testing the new functionality in operational environments. The testing programme will be coordinated by Civil Defence in partnership with the OGCIO and participating agencies.

Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships, Minister Chambers said:

“Our first responders provide an essential service to communities across Ireland, often in challenging circumstances.

“This new national roaming arrangement will help ensure that emergency personnel can maintain access to critical information and communications services, regardless of which mobile network is available at a particular location.

“It is a practical improvement that will strengthen resilience, support public safety and help prepare Ireland’s emergency services for the next generation of critical communication technologies.”

Minister of State Feighan said:

“This roaming arrangement is the result of sustained engagements by the OGCIO, all three mobile network operators and the mobile Core partner Druid Software.

“This agreement will enable emergency services mobile devices to benefit from access to every mobile network in the country improving coverage, resilience, and service continuity. It will also underpin further work with our colleagues across Europe as part of the EU Critical Communications System initiative.”