Cassidian helped to ensure the success of the security system at the recent G8 summit held in Deauville, France on 26-27 May 2011.

The forces deployed on site used high-security mobile communication systems provided by Cassidian. TETRAPOL secured radio network technology was installed in the fixed INPT (Infrastructure Nationale Partageable des Transmissions), RUBIS and OPERA networks and also in the TOPAZE deployable tactical network. Together, these technologies formed a cornerstone of the extremely demanding system, whose primary objective was to ensure the protection of 8 Heads of State and Government and of 17 Delegations comprising more than 7,300 invited guests, nearly 4,000 of whom were journalists.

During the G8 summit, 10,000 users - including forces from the Police, the Gendarmerie, the French Armed Forces and various civil security bodies - benefitted from the powerful secure radio communication system.

To achieve this, Cassidian installed a variety of redundant components to increase the density of the INPT network, thus guaranteeing greater stability of the communication system in the event of a crisis.

The capacity of the RUBIS network, including its maritime dimension provided by the OPERA extension, was expanded to meet the increased demand for communication over radio channels as a result of rallying 4,000 gendarmes and 1,700 members of the Armed Forces. The French gendarmerie was also supported by a tactical network called TOPAZE, which is based on the Milicor® system. “By pooling the communications of all the forces involved including the gendarmerie mobile, mounted forces of the national guard and Army forces, this network constituted the core of the security operation,” said Gendarmerie Lieutenant Colonel Gilles Martin.

In addition to the geo-positioning of protection forces in and around the airport of Deauville, TOPAZE enabled the rapid setup of a secure communication system in the theatre of operations dedicated exclusively to the G8 summit. The system ensured 100% network availability in all sensitive locations: the venues of preparatory meetings, the accommodation, the paths taken by the heads of state and even the movements of the crowd.

Throughout the summit, Cassidian’s technology enabled all the forces deployed on site to operate in strict confidence and to ensure the protection of top-ranking politicians as well as that of the thousands of visitors and the local residents.