A representative of ASTRID, the operator of the Belgian TETRA public safety communications network, has said that the “official investigation is on-going” after the network was placed under stress from an exceptional mobilisation of emergency and security services following the recent attacks in Brussels on 22 March.
ASTRID base stations close-by to the attacks reached maximum capacity shortly after the bombings, which affected communication during “a few crucial hours”, resulting in a number of users not being able to access group calls. Following the attacks at Zaventem airport, there was also an additional bombing at Maelbeek metro station near EU buildings in Belgian capital. This contributed to the failure of commercial mobile phone networks and a surge in radio traffic on the ASTRID network.
ASTRID has stated that due to the successive heavy attacks, at several locations, at certain hours and within a limited radius, some radio base stations had to process “an unprecedented volume of communication”. The operator has added that emergency and security services from all over the country were mobilised to provide assistance, which also led to “exceptional radio traffic”. ASTRID’s mobile base station was also set up to increase the capacity of the radio network in the centre of Brussels.
ASTRID met with the ASTRID User Advisory Committee on 25 March 2016, which resulted in points of action and recommendations regarding radio usage and training. Further technological optimisation of the network is already included in a business plan approved by its board of directors. The operator has stressed that the radio network did not experience a nationwide outage but did have “serious capacity problems”, particularly in the Brussels region. ASTRID is also consulting police, firefighters, ambulances, the Belgian military and all other emergency and security services to “further optimise emergency communication”.
ASTRID claims that it connected hundreds of additional radio terminals to the network on the day of the attacks at the request of the public safety organisations. The police and emergency control rooms in Brussels and Flemish-Brabant, which controls emergency calls to 101-100/112, experienced a "heavy communication load" but continued to function properly. The paging system for mobilising firefighting volunteers was also placed under “exceptional stress”, but was able to continue without problems.
Marc De Buyser, ASTRID's CEO, has released a statement expressing the ASTRID team’s “deepest sympathy” to the victims and their families and highlighted its respect for the emergency and security services.
“At the request of the organisations, ASTRID activated hundreds of additional radios on the day and also set up the mobile base station,” stated Buyser. “The extraordinary magnitude of this drama also had an undeniable and heavy impact on the commercial mobile networks, which resulted in a considerable increase of radio traffic on the ASTRID network.
“ASTRID did not suffer an outage. The radio, paging and control room systems remained functional at all times. However, the massive mobilisation of emergency services as well as the hundreds of simultaneous group calls did affect the performance of radio communication in Brussels.
"Shortly after the attacks, the ASTRID base stations in the vicinity of the Maalbeek metro station reached maximum capacity, which made communication difficult from time to time. A number of users experienced delays or did not get access to group calls. Challenging and stressful moments like these inevitably lead to a higher number of push-to-talks.
"Together with its users, ASTRID is now taking a close look at the radio usage and the communication stream processes both from a technological and an operational perspective. ASTRID also met with the ASTRID User Advisory Committee, which resulted in a number of concrete points of action and recommendations.
“With these unprecedented terrorist attacks, our country has entered a new reality. I suggest that we sit down with all the parties involved in the country’s security policy in order to find ways of increasing our preparedness for this new type of emergency situation,” concluded Buyser.
