Government acknowledges that renewed C2000 network has connection problems

According to Minister Ferd Grapperhaus, users of the renewed C2000 network experience problems with the connection. The problem would especially arise if users switch network masts. The ministry is therefore extending the aftercare period of the renewed system.

Since the end of January, emergency services have been using a renewed C2000 network for mutual mobile communication. According to the users of this network, there are problems with the connection, causing the connection to drop. That writes Minister Ferd Grapperhaus of Justice and Security in a letter to parliament. These problems would mainly arise if users switch network masts, or if ‘many’ users are working in the same area. Network updates were made for this on March 27 and April 2, which, according to Grapperhaus, ‘significantly’ improved the performance of the network. It is unclear how many users have complaints about these issues.

Users would also complain about the emergency button of the C2000 system. This button should send an emergency call to the central station. In eight cases in two months, this emergency call did not go through. Four times this was due to the connectivity issues mentioned earlier. In the other four cases, the cause is not yet known, but connection problems are suspected. Previous problems, such as an unjustified busy signal when contacting care providers, have been resolved ‘for the most part’. There are also complaints about the audio quality and stability of the radio controls, the ministry is still working on this.

Although the number of complaints is now decreasing, the network is not yet functioning at an acceptable level, according to Grapperhaus. The police’s image of the new system in particular would not be positive enough. That is why Grapperhaus is extending the ‘aftercare phase’ of the new C2000 system. Initially, the police should have been able to take the system under regular management on March 28, now that will not happen until July 1 at the latest. Until then, the system is still in an ‘extended intensive aftercare phase’. At the same time, the police will take additional measures, such as making a ‘Push-To-Talk’ app more widely available that offers group communication via the mobile phone network.