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Together with Jacek Kozłowski, Vice-President of the Supreme Audit Office, we introduced the participants of the 52nd PIKE Conference in Łódź to a discussion on digital communications for uniformed services (PPDR). The conversation was extremely necessary and showed, based on the NIK report and analyses by the Digital Poland Foundation, that Poland must finally move from plans to implementation. Failure to act threatens us with a real security crisis.
The conclusions of the NIK report are devastating:
Poland is the only country in the EU that does not have a comprehensive PPDR system.
Attempts to implement a nationwide digital radio communication system have ended in failure, mainly due to the lack of a financing mechanism, fragmentation of competences and reluctance to cooperate. We have wasted 20 years in this way.
Officers still rely on analogue networks that do not meet safety, interoperability or coverage standards.
Only the Border Guard and the State Protection Service have fully implemented digital communications.
The lack of system compatibility drastically hinders communication in crisis situations.
For years, the Digital Poland Foundation has been pointing to solutions used by global leaders – described in more detail in the report and book ‘How to build 5G in Poland for the benefit of society and the economy’. Key recommendations:
Building a system in a PPP model – as in the UK, US or South Korea.
Government PPDR coordinator with a full mandate to act.
The state provides frequencies, network core and user management (e.g. through Exatel).
A telecommunications operator selected through a tender is responsible for the radio layer and infrastructure.
Synergy with the white spot elimination project – in the United Kingdom, this has increased network coverage from 76% to almost 100%.
The panellists emphasised that we already have some foundations in place:
a law providing a legal framework for the system,
a coordinator at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration,
the inclusion of PPDR in the Poland Development Strategy until 2035.
However, the most important thing is missing: leadership, political decision-making and consistency in implementation. Every year of delay increases the risk to the safety of citizens and services.
Thank you for participating in the debate and for your valuable contributions:
Magdalena Gaj – President of the Management Board, EXATEL
Colonel Remigiusz Płusa – General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces
Dariusz Dzialkowski – Member of the Management Board, KIGEiT
Andrzej Abramczuk – President of the Management Board, Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. / Netia
Servando Sierra – Member of the Management Board, Cellnex Poland
Jacek Oko – Wrocław University of Technology, former President of UKE
NIK report: Communication system in Polish services
Foundation report: How to build a 5G network for the benefit of society