Network Issues Disrupt Digital Communication for Emergency Services

Emergency services across Germany, including police and rescue teams, experienced significant disruptions in their digital communication systems due to network issues identified as the root cause. The Federal Agency for Digital Radio of Authorities and Organizations with Security Tasks (BDBOS) confirmed that thorough inspections revealed network problems that were subsequently resolved.

The disruptions affected various regions, including Bremen, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saarland, and Thuringia. While some areas reported a swift resolution, others experienced prolonged outages. The Federal Police also noted that their operations were impacted, although specific details regarding the extent of these effects were not disclosed.

The communication issues arose in the afternoon, prompting a high-priority investigation by BDBOS and its partners to identify and rectify the problems swiftly. The agency confirmed that the disruption lasted approximately two hours, although it remained unclear if all affected locations had resumed normal operations by evening.

Importantly, the emergency hotline numbers for police and fire services, which operate on a different system, were not affected. During the outage, personnel from police, fire, and rescue services were compelled to utilize alternative communication methods to maintain operational continuity.

Officials from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) reported that there was no evidence of a cyberattack being linked to the disruptions. The BSI's National IT Situation Center was in contact with both BDBOS and the Federal Ministry of the Interior's situation center to monitor the developments closely.

The BDBOS indicated that the Digital Radio for Authorities and Organizations with Security Tasks (BOS) serves as the primary communication system for emergency services, featuring over 5,000 base stations that cover 99.2% of Germany's territory. This system facilitates nationwide and cross-agency communication, crucial for effective coordination during everyday incidents as well as in complex emergencies and disaster scenarios.

Reports from various emergency service centers indicated that while multiple federal states were impacted, the outages were not uniform across the country, with varying durations reported. The Berlin Fire Department confirmed its involvement but assured that it remained operational and could utilize alternative systems for communication. The Berlin Police also acknowledged the disruption but reported a return to normal functionality later in the evening.

In Niedersachsen, the Interior Ministry noted a brief statewide disruption, while similar issues were reported intermittently in Thuringia. According to the situation center in Saxony, the region also faced challenges. The West Mecklenburg Rescue Control Center stated it was affected but remained fully operational, with alternative methods in place to communicate with colleagues. The fire brigade was still accessible to citizens and could respond promptly to emergencies.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Ministry indicated awareness of the nationwide disruption, relaying this information to police departments. In Cologne, police reported a brief outage of approximately 15 minutes.

Stephan Weh, the head of the Police Union (GdP) in Berlin, commented on the incident, emphasizing the critical reliance on digital communication in emergency management. He described the widespread failure of the digital radio system as a severe setback, highlighting the vulnerabilities in the current digital infrastructure and cautioning against dependency on monopolistic solutions, which could jeopardize public safety.