Vodafone Spain has delivered the Military Emergency Unit (UME), what it claims to be the first mobile unit equipped with a private 5G network. According to the telco, it's designed to maintain communications during disasters and situations of serious risk.
The solution enables the on-site deployment of a Mobile Private Network (MPN) capable of providing dedicated, secure, high-capacity coverage, independent of the availability of commercial networks. The goal is to ensure connectivity for emergency teams even when conventional infrastructure is damaged, congested, or out of service.
The core of the infrastructure is a 5G node integrated into a UME vehicle. Once deployed, it creates a private connectivity bubble in the operations area that enables the transmission of video, images, and data in real time.
This capability is designed for scenarios such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, or heavy snowfall, in which maintaining high-capacity communications is critical for coordinating deployed teams.
The infrastructure is complemented by 100 ruggedized smartphones, ten tablets, SIM cards, and management tools. The system can operate on different frequency bands and integrate with both the UME’s private networks and the public networks available in each scenario.
