Key facts
The planned national mobile broadband secure communications system (MSC) is of key importance to security policy and plays a significant role in civil protection. MSC must be deployed in all cantons by 2035 to replace the existing Polycom secure radio network. Without MSC, cooperation between the federal government, the cantons and the authorities and organisations for rescue and security (AORS) would be seriously jeopardised. Timely commissioning is therefore a high priority.
Preliminary work on the MSC project began in 2017 at the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP). After several attempts and a suspension of the project in 2019, the Federal Council instructed the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) on 29 January 2020 to implement a pilot project, in collaboration with the cantons and operators of critical infrastructure, by the end of 2023. The final report by the FOCP from December 2023 envisaged the start of MSC implementation at the beginning of 2026.
Since the final report, the FOCP has been engaged in a third office consultation for a dispatch to Parliament on the implementation of MSC. The timetable for implementation is becoming increasingly tight. For this reason, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) examined whether the latest proposed approach is appropriate and adequately takes the high risks into account. The audit shows that the planned approach jeopardises the timely commissioning of the project.