GCF Certification for Broadband Mission Critical Services maintains momentum
Brussels (Belgium), 17 June 2025
The Global Certification Forum (GCF) and TCCA are pleased to announce increasing support for the GCF Certification program for Broadband Mission Critical Services with the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) joining GCF as Mission Critical Communications Operator (MCCO). DSB reports to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Norway.
Eline Paxal, head of DSB's Department for Emergency Communications, commented: “We are excited about joining GCF and we are looking forward to participating as Mission Critical Communications Operator. We have initiated the work to establish a broadband public safety radio network to meet the needs of emergency and preparedness users after the phase-out of the current TETRA Nødnett. We will request that the mission critical broadband products and services are certified as standardised and interoperable. Our conclusion is that being a GCF member is important to support the ongoing work to establish necessary processes for testing and certification of mission critical products and services.”
Lars Nielsen, GCF’s CEO, said: “GCF Certification for Broadband Mission Critical Services gains a lot of momentum in Europe, and we are pleased to welcome DSB joining GCF as a new MCCO. We are looking forward to more Mission Critical Operators and Service Providers joining the initiative, as well as increased engagement from vendors of Mission Critical Services and Devices.”
Nina Myren, director and board member of TCCA representing DSB, emphasises the importance of building the full stack of testing and certification services for mission critical products and services. "TCCA and GCF have worked closely over the last years to establish the necessary processes for testing and certification of mission critical services. We encourage our members that are Public Safety Communications operators to request certified products, and also to become GCF MCCO members. I am very happy to see that also my organisation and our long-time member DSB has taken this step."
Four MCCOs now have joined GCF
In the last few months, ASTRID from Belgium and Erillisverkot from Finland have joined GCF, following Sweden's Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap (MSB) who was the first public safety organisation to become a member of the GCF as a MCCO.
MSB, ASTRID, Erillisverkot and DSB have also been participating in the Mission Critical Services Work Stream, set up by GCF and TCCA to align and speed up the market availability of certified 3GPP standards-based Mission Critical Broadband Services and Devices.
The GCF certification programmes assures device-network and client-server compliance to 3GPP standards for mission critical devices and services, as well as contributing to reducing testing cost and accelerating time-to-market.
GCF at CCW 2025
DSB joining GCF happens just before TCCA's flagship event Critical Communications World (CCW) 2025, taking place from 17th to 19th June at Brussels Expo, Belgium. This event unites mission-critical and business-critical end-users with manufacturers and suppliers for three days of inspiration, knowledge and connections.
GCF is presenting and partaking in CCW 2025 Conference & Focus Forums. Check our events page about the various sessions by GCF at CCW 2025, or to meet with the GCF team at booth K101.
About GCF
Since 1999, the Global Certification Forum (GCF) has been leading the global ecosystem facilitating interoperable devices, networks, and services, enabling reliable and secure wireless communications. GCF’s solutions cover Mission Critical Services, 5G NR, LTE, Cellular IoT (NB-IoT and eMTC), eSIM and legacy technologies. GCF has over 350 members, including major and smaller operators and service providers, device manufacturers, MCS Service providers, and the test industry, working together with key industry partners on certification programmes demanded by the market. www.globalcertificationforum.org
About TCCA
TCCA is committed to advancing global critical communications for a safer, more connected world by helping to empower critical communication users with secure, trusted, and standardised technologies. On behalf of our members, we support all standard mobile critical communications services and complementary applications. TCCA members are drawn from end users, operators and industry across the globe. We believe in and promote the principle of open and competitive markets worldwide through the use of open standards and harmonised spectrum. We drive the development of common global mobile standards for critical broadband and maintain and enhance the TETRA Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) standard. TCCA is the 3GPP Market Representation Partner for critical communications and our members actively contribute in 3GPP working groups and supports the ETSI MCX Plugtests™.
www.critical-communications-world.com
About DSB
The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB), reporting to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, owns and maintains Nødnett – the Norwegian Public Safety Radio Network. DSB is also responsible for local, regional and national preparedness and emergency planning, civil defence, fire safety, electrical safety, handling and transport of hazardous substances, as well as product and consumer safety. DSB's Department for Emergency Communications is in addition to Nødnett responsible for other national emergency communication systems like the national public warning systems and eCall. Nødnett has nationwide coverage and DSB delivers mission critical communication services to police, ambulance, fire and a wide range of other preparedness and rescue organisations in Norway.
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