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Case Study: CERN Fire and Rescue Service

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Reliable communications where every second counts

Operating across the Franco-Swiss border, CERN’s dedicated professional fire brigade protects world-leading scientific research facilities. To support an anticipated period of increased operational interventions, the CERN Fire and Rescue service partnered with HMD Secure to deploy an agile, dependable mobile solution utilizing the HMD Terra M device and its enterprise services.

Delivering mission-critical capabilities

The collaboration focused on elevating first-responder agility and connectivity across the site:

  • Seamless cross-border interoperability: providing a direct, unified voice channel that effortlessly bridges communications between French, Swiss, and CERN emergency responders.
  • Resilient campus-wide reach: complementing traditional radio coverage by using CERN’s private cellular and site-wide Wi-Fi infrastructure, keeping teams connected surface-to-underground.
  • Enhanced security & data privacy: delivering enterprise-grade security and privacy aligned with CERN’s scientific research policies, safeguarding data without personal account dependencies.
  • Purpose-built durability: equipping first responders with a tough, compact device engineered to perform reliably alongside protective gear in the most demanding conditions.

Key business & technical benefits

The deployment of the HMD Terra M offers high operational value and strong return on investment:
Rugged durability: designed to withstand demanding conditions.

MDM enrolment: easily configured and managed over-the-air, offering strong centralized IT control today and smooth future integration with platforms like Microsoft Intune.

Easy to use for calls and SMS: straightforward voice communications and targeted SMS alerts that display emergency details directly on locked screens, cutting dispatch times by 30 to 60 seconds when every moment matters.

Value for money & great ROI: Exceptional commercial balance, delivering mission-critical reliability, and enterprise management at an accessible price point.

With this phone, we are always connected and always available. A small, rugged device that gives us so many possibilities, cellular, Wi-Fi, and real-time alerts. It enables us to save lives.

— Jean Audrain, Fire Officer, CERN Fire and Rescue Service

An evolving partnership built on trust

The cornerstone of the rollout is a close, responsive collaboration that evolves the solution in real time:

  • Direct feedback loop: CERN works directly with a single, dedicated technical lead at HMD Secure, eliminating bureaucratic layers and ensuring rapid turnaround.
  • Customer feedback: customer feedback is central to us. We engage closely with our users to understand their evolving needs, releasing new features and enhancements designed to meet them.

Fire Officer Jean Audrain concludes:

This is not just a sales collaboration; it’s an ongoing dialogue for continuous improvement. We share feedback and practical requests, and within weeks we have a new software update. Having a single contact who listens and adapts the product creates genuine trust.

Looking ahead: as industry-wide TETRA radio networks approach their 2030 sunset, CERN is already preparing to unlock the Terra M's built-in Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) functionality, delivering a lighter, forward-compatible standard for the next generation of emergency response.