Polycom’s conversion into Nidwalden and Obwalden is in full swing

On the night of July 8-9 last year, emergency numbers for police, firefighters and an ambulance could not be reached due to a technical failure at Swisscom. As everywhere in Switzerland, the warehouses of the fire department were also occupied in Nidwalden and Obwalden. Citizens can go there in case of emergency. If necessary, the fire brigade notified the police, ambulance or other blue light organization via the Polycom National Safety Radio Network. In such and similar cases, blue light institutions and authorities resort to this security radio network, which is protected from eavesdropping and interference. Polycom is also an important and reliable means of communication for such organizations in everyday use, as well as “civilian” mobile communications.

French manufacturer in default

But now it is precisely this Polycom that has grabbed the headlines. There are delays in upgrading to new technology because the French manufacturer is years behind schedule. The authorities are questioning whether the new system will work until the end of 2024, as recently reported by the SRF.

Tony Caslin, fire brigade inspector from Obwalden and Nidwalden, remained calm. “In Nidwalden and Obwalden, a transition to the new Polycom network is also scheduled in 2024. But before that, the other cantons will switch and gain the appropriate initial experience.” Because until all the cantons are switched, the parallel process will continue with the existing Polycom network.

Nidwalden invests 2.4, Obwalden 3 million francs in renovation

But even with local blue light regulators, refurbishment is needed. Technology and base stations dating back to the time of introduction (Nidwalden 2006, Obwalden 2010) are now obsolete and must be replaced with new technology and new components, also because some spare parts are no longer available. At the beginning of 2020, the Nidwalden government approved a total of CHF 2.4 million for alternative investments. A year ago, Obwalden spoke of 2.96 million Swiss francs. The smaller amount in Nidwalden is due to the fact that this canton has already seen a wave of renovations, unlike Obwalden, which only introduced Polycom in 2010.

Air conditioners and power supplies will also be refurbished at eight base plants in Nidwalden and nine plants in Obwalden as they, too, have reached the end of their useful lives. In addition, the radio programming and technology at police operations centers will be updated to be able to properly operate Polycom after the change.

The Nidwalden County Police have already replaced their portable radios, and it’s the turn of the Nidwalden fire brigades this year. This replacement purchase should be completed by the end of the year. “We expect that the new devices, which are also compatible with the new system, will be working again for a few years,” says Tony Caslin.