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12th December 2003 -VIRVE is the first to put TETRA
Authentication and Air Interface Encryption into operation.
An important milestone in Finland's VIRVE public safety
network was reached recently, when two high-security
features, Authentication and Air Interface Encryption
were brought into operational use, exactly on schedule.
"We are proud of the latest addition to the VIRVE's
capabilities," says Janne Koivukoski, Director of VIRVE
Unit, Ministry of the Interior, Finland. "We have been
pioneers in TETRA - the first authentication test in
VIRVE was held in April 2001 -- and now we are the first
in the world to bring TETRA Authentication and Air Interface
Encryption into nationwide operational use."
For today's public safety users, high security is essential.
In the past, analogue mobile communications systems
were notoriously vulnerable - for example, the communications
were very easy to intercept. The Authentication and
Air Interface Encryption features in Nokia's digital
TETRA system use dynamic encryption keys, to protect
the network from unauthorized radio users and make eavesdropping
impossible.
"Security issues are close to our heart," says Matti
Peltola, Nokia Networks. "With its TETRA Class 3 encryption
interoperability certificate, the Nokia TETRA System
fulfils the strictest requirements for communications
security in mission-critical radio operations. TETRA
Authentication and Air Interface Encryption are excellent
examples of features that can bring operational benefits
to public safety personnel in their demanding tasks."
In TETRA Authentication, the system checks that a radio
terminal is authentic and not an illegal clone, thus
preventing unauthorized radio users from accessing the
system and its services.
TETRA Air Interface Encryption hides the contents of
the calls and messages that are transmitted on the radio
path. The signalling and coded speech sent on the radio
path are ciphered using encryption keys and an encryption
algorithm. Only authorized recipients have the cipher
keys and only they can decode the encrypted speech and
signalling. TETRA Air Interface Encryption protects
the network against eavesdropping, analysis of traffic
patterns, and unauthorized use.
About VIRVE
Today, the Finnish public safety network VIRVE is complete
and operational and serves more than 35,000 users across
Finland. The functions of this nationwide network are
available uniformly and seamlessly within its coverage
area. The major user groups are the emergency, fire
and rescue services, the police, the Frontier Guard,
the Social and Health Services, the Customs Authority
and the Finnish Defence Forces.
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