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Blog Editor’s Note: Northern Norway may be the most frequently jammed place on the planet. It is certainly the most jammed outside the middle east.

No wonder, then, that Norway’s National Telecommunications Authority, Nkom, hosted “the world’s largest” jammer event last week.

Here is their announcement and several articles about the event (our Chrome browser offered us an English version of each).

We have asked Nkom about results of the event and will publish those when they are available.

 

The world’s largest open jam test on Andøya

Industry from all over Europe participates when the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the National Communications Authority and the Norwegian Defense Research Institute will test how modern positioning technology withstands jamming attacks. The aim of the test is increased security and more robust systems.

The event “Jammest 2022” takes place at the town of Bleik on Andøya from 19 to 23 September 2022 and brings together authorities, car manufacturers and international technology suppliers from all over Europe for GNSS jamming and spoofing. It is the first time a civilian jamming test on this scale has been carried out in Norway.

Jamming is interference or blocking of, among other things, radio and GPS signals, while spoofing is sending out false signals to deceive the receiver who receives these signals.

–  The goal of the jamming test is to find solutions to an increasing safety challenge before it affects the robustness of road transport and other important areas of society, says Tomas Levin of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

The jamming test is added to Andøya due to the particularly favorable location with high mountains that minimize signal propagation, as well as little air traffic to disturb. Interest in coming to Andøya to test has been great from international players in the transport industry, telecoms and car industry, among others.

– Jammetest is an important event and here both users and manufacturers get to test their own navigation equipment in a realistic environment where the signals from GPS or other satellite navigation systems are disturbed, falsified or simply unavailable, says Anders Rødningsby of the Defense Research Institute.

In the right place at the right time

Society is becoming increasingly dependent on services that can determine the correct position, navigation and precise time. To a large extent, these are based on global satellite navigation systems (GNSS). The most well-known is the American GPS (Global Positioning System), which, in addition to determining exact position, is also used for time synchronization. Many important and critical societal functions depend on knowing the exact time and place, and examples of this are the transport sector, power supply, finance, telecommunications and search and rescue.

– The increased dependence on GNSS, such as GPS and Galileo, within critical societal functions makes us vulnerable to interference with the satellite signals. We are therefore working to reduce vulnerability by facilitating testing which in turn will ensure robust technology and increased security, says Nicolai Gerrard in the National Communications Authority.

Jammetest is a collaborative project between several Norwegian authorities and the Norwegian Space Center is among the actors with an interest in the activities.

– The Norwegian Space Center is concerned that it should be safe to use space-based services that society has become dependent on. The close collaboration with other public actors in arranging jamming tests means that users and equipment suppliers can test the consequences of jamming on their systems under controlled conditions. The Space Center believes that increased knowledge in this area will contribute to a safer society, says Steinar Thomsen, department director at the Norwegian Space Centre.

International interest in participation

Over 100 participants from all over Europe come to Andøya to expose their own technology to disturbances. There has been great interest among players in the transport sector, where around 20 cars take part in the driving tests during the week.

– Norway has become the launch country for new and modern electric cars and this gives us a unique opportunity to harvest useful experience and data from advanced systems. It is important that the vehicles are robust and that we have infrastructure that supports the technological development of more automation. It is therefore gratifying that the industry wants to work more closely together with us to find good solutions, says Tomas Levin in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

About “Jammertest 2022”

In the test, stationary jamming equipment and mobile jamming equipment, seized by Nkom and the police, will be used. The test will include tests on the road and in the air in the areas around Bleik on Andøya. The driving tests take place on an 8 kilometer long test track, arranged for car manufacturers and measuring and equipment vehicles. In addition, search and rescue services with drones and helicopters will participate in the test.

The public will be able to experience the limited impact of GNSS services locally on Andøya during the period the testing is carried out. Residents and others who may be affected have been notified.

The test trial has been approved by the National Communications Authority (Nkom), and is carried out as a collaboration between the National Communications Authority, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI) and the Adjustment Service. Testnor assists with practical implementation and coordination.

 

Contact persons for the media:  
Nicolai Gerrard, senior engineer, National Communications Authority, + 47 90 70 87 72
Tomas Levin, chief engineer, Norwegian Road Administration, +47 97790916
Heidi Andreassen, project manager, Testnor, +47 416 50 358

VIEW ON NKOM SITE

Articles From Sweden:

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And Norway:

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