Finland to study deployment of EU secure satellite communications

A preliminary study project on deployment of secure satellite communications will seek to investigate the deployment of secure satellite communication services in Finland. The European Union Secure Connectivity Programme is developing secure satellite communication services for use by public authorities and public administration.

In association with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior established the preliminary study project for the period from 8 April 2024 to 31 December 2025.

Seeking a proposal for national deployment

The project will seek to investigate and plan potential national deployment of the EU satellite communication services GOVSATCOM and IRIS², which improve the resilience, interconnectivity and security of communication services of public authorities and public administration. The EU is providing and financing GOVSATCOM services centrally to Member States as of 2024, and the goal is to make IRIS² services available from 2027. An investigation of national user needs, costs and operating model is needed for service deployment.

EU Secure Connectivity Programme 2023–2027

The main goal of the EU Secure Connectivity Programme is deployment of the EU satellite system IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), providing fast, highly secure communication services to the EU and government agencies in the Member States, and commercial broadband connections to strategically important areas. Implementation of IRIS² will also allow fast broadband connections to areas where no terrestrial communication connections are available. The system should be ready for deployment in 2027.

The Secure Connectivity Programme is based on resources of the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) component of the EU space programme. The intention is to develop and expand the GOVSATCOM component into a multi-orbital connectivity infrastructure for use by public authorities and public administration. GOVSATCOM is based on satellite solutions that are currently used by Member States.

Secure satellite communications for emergency conditions

Implementation of IRIS2 will support the security operations and critical infrastructure protection, external relations functions, crisis management, and border and maritime surveillance work of Member States. IRIS2 can be compared to a global satellite-based Virve 2 service of public authorities, which may be used in circumstances where terrestrial communication solutions are not available or cannot be trusted. The operational reliability of terrestrial connections may be jeopardised for many reasons. Various natural phenomena, such as rain and snow storms, can disrupt connections. Threats of human origin, such as cyber attacks and wars, are also a risk.