BLUnet: Strong partners for crisis-proof communication

'After conducting successful operational tests, the moment has arrived, and we are able to offer rescue and security services fully scalable and expandable solutions for crisis-proof communicationwithout the need for major investments. It's the strategic partnership between Axpo, Sunrise and WZ-Systems that has made this possible. Since every one of the partners lends its core competencies to BLUnet, BLUnet, as the only provider, is capable of offering flexible and future-proof convergence solutions from a single source to emergency responders,' Rainer Zürcher, owner and CEO of WZ-Systems and founder of BLUnet Schweiz AG, is happy to report.'Sunrise has the best mobile network in Switzerland and continues to optimize it until it is essentially a 'defect-free' network. Since Sunrise is also upgrading strategically important facilities to make them fail-safe and crisis-proof, we are offering infrastructure and communication services that customers with the highest security requirements can depend on; an example of this is the Zurich Airport. It goes without saying that these first-rate services are particularly suitable for rescue and security services within the framework of our partnership with BLUnet,' explains Olaf Swantee, Sunrise CEO.

Axpo contributes its security of electricity supply experience to the partnership

As a company that produces, trades and sells energy in Switzerland and over 30 European countries, Axpo has to be able to communicate and manage its grid operations in crisis situations. With its ownhigh-performance fiber optic cable networkequipped with redundant, fail-proof connections, autonomous power supply and two-platform strategy, Axpo has reliable and highly available data connections at its disposal. Across Switzerland, Axpo is a carrier for numerous data centers and offers a comprehensive network of access points. Axpo and WZ-Systems have been working together closely and as partners in the area of data communication services for some time; they jointly develop products and provide customers with integrated solutions from a single source. 'With this know-how, we are well-positioned to provide crisis-proof communication solutions as part of our partnership with BLUnet,' as Daniel Zimmermann, Axpo Operations & Maintenance Manager, Grids division, points out.

For BLUnet, Axpo, Sunrise and WZ-Systems combine their core competencies and thus pursue the convergence of electricity and data communication to ensure the very best security of supply. The same tools that guarantee crisis-proof communication in the event of a disaster are also used to ensure communication among rescue and security personnel. It is, for example, ensured using prioritized voice and data traffic on the mobile network, hardened landline and mobile networks in the case of power outages as well as mobile ad-hoc solutions.

Sunrise offers high-level prioritization on the best mobile network

Sunrise brings to BLUnetthe best mobile network in Switzerlandandthe fastest mobile data connections. On the Sunrise mobile network, BLUnet customers have the highest priority for calling and mobile data services in the event that overloads occur. Thanks to the leading 4G geographical coverage Sunrise provides, BLUnet customers have the most up-to-date voice and data communication services at their disposal 24/7. In the future, guaranteed mobile frequency bands will be offered for specific requirements. With the continuous expansion of its mobile network, Sunrise ensures that all BLUnet solutions are future-proof (5G) and sustainable.

Hardened landline and mobile networks for a 'Switzerland in the dark' scenario

Since security and rescue organizations' ability to communicate is vital, even during 'Switzerland in the dark' scenarios, the BLUnet partners offer an infrastructure of the highest quality. With itshigh-performance fiber optic network, Axpo offers BLUnet a state-of-the-art, future-proof landline network infrastructure that is available throughout Switzerland (60% is its own fiber optic cable network, 40% is network access provided by its partners.) All sites as well as 100% of the lines are hardened and thus designed in a way that allows the network to continue to operate even during partial outages or power outages. This means that BLUnet customers benefit from the most extensive hardened and therefore most fail-safe network in Switzerland.

Hardening strategically important sites ensures that the Sunrise mobile network is built in a crisis-proof and fail-safe manner as well. This makes the best mobile network even better - for rescue and security personnel, as well as for all Sunrise customers. For example, select mobile antenna sites are hardened using two different fiber-optic connections, with redundancies in the autonomous power supply with batteries, as well as with the installation of redundant, variably aligned microwave connections.

Mobile ad-hoc solutions

To ensure that rescue and security personnel have access to trouble-free communication services at large events, BLUnet relies on temporary network expansions provided by Sunrise. For example, mobile network facilities (Cells on Wheels - CoWs) ensure that emergency responders have sufficient capacity and coverage available for their mobile voice and data communications.

Integrated convergence through WZ-Systems

Linking the BLUnet partners' core competencies to allow them to offer integrated convergence solutions from a single source to emergency responders is WZ-Systems' role as a strategic BLUnet partner. WZ-Systems brings more than 25 years of experience with integrated communication systems to the partnership and is the competent contact for rescue and security personnel for design, construction and operation as well as service, maintenance, engineering and support (including data center services and network operations centers).

For additional information go to:

www.blunet.swiss

www.axpo.com

www.sunrise.ch/business

www.wz-systems.ch