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Erillisverkot will offer the Galileo satellite navigation system for public safety actors in Finland

By 2024, Finland will start using Galileo PRS (Public Regulated Services), a location and time information service that fulfills the requirements for public safety actors. Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom is responsible for the service. Erillisverkot acts as a Galileo PRS operator.
Galileo satellites Security critical services

Different kinds of location and time information are a significant part of the everyday life of society. The precise information produced by satellite navigation systems secures official duties as well as the electricity grids, banking services and telecommunications network. For example, 5G technology and automation of transport demand secure location and time information.

“Galileo PRS is a very important service for Finland’s digital independence and safety. It ensures that public safety actors are able to function in a time when time and location information is under more cyber threats than ever before. The introduction of the PRS service is the most remarkable joint cyber security project of the EU Member States,” says Antti Kauppinen Chief Technology Officer of Erillisverkot.

As an operator, Erillisverkot produces Galileo PRS services for the use of public safety actors and integrates it into Virve 2.0, a public safety network which is under development. Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, steered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, coordinates and is responsible for the service.

The reliability of Galileo PRS is state-of-the-art: a robust signal and encryption ensure its safety. The user groups of the service include the Police, Customs, Defence Forces, rescue services, Border Guard, social and healthcare services, and companies that ensure the operations of digital society.

The goal is to achieve 63,000 users by 2028. When the goal is reached, the annual production costs of the service are estimated at EUR 2.7 million. The building costs for the infrastructure required by the service are EUR 18.5 million. As an EU Member State, Finland contributes to the building and maintenance of Galileo by about EUR 30 million a year.
The Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy decided on 24 November 2020 that Finland will start using the Galileo PRS system.

Further information
Antti Kauppinen, Chief Technology Officer, Erillisverkot Group
+358 40 866 8582, antti.kauppinen@erillisverkot.fi

Press release from the Ministry of Transport and Communications on 24 November 2020: Public Regulated Service PRS of Galileo satellite navigation system in use in Finland by 2024

Erillisverkot Group enables secure critical operations and communications in all circumstances. Erillisverkot provides the organizations responsible for the security and functionality of the society with mission critical services, software services for situational awareness and services securing critical infrastructure and communication. Erillisverkot is a wholly state-owned special-purpose company. For further information: www.erillisverkot.fi, social media @erillisverkot