Frequently Asked Questions about Data Retention
Your Questions, Answered.
We understand that data retention involves complex technical, legal, and security details. To provide clarity, we've gathered straightforward answers to the most common questions about the REX platform, its capabilities, and its compliance.
REX significantly reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for data retention in three key ways:
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AUTOMATION: By automating the entire disclosure workflow, we drastically reduce the need for manual intervention and operational overhead.
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EFFICIENCY: Our high-speed search capabilities and efficient data processing require less computational power and resources.
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SMART STORAGE: Advanced data processing techniques can reduce overall storage needs without compromising data integrity.
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GDPR compliance is fundamental to our platform. REX ensures this through several core principles:
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STRICT ACCESS CONTROL: Role-based permissions ensure that users only see the data they are lawfully authorized to access.
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PURPOSE LIMITATION: Data is collected and processed only for the explicit and legitimate purpose of lawful disclosure.
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COMPLETE AUDIT TRAILS: Every action is logged, ensuring full accountability.
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DATA LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT: REX manages the secure and automatic deletion of data once the legal retention period has expired.
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REX provides a comprehensive and immutable audit trail designed to ensure full accountability. Every single action, from user login to data export, is logged with a timestamp and user ID. Critically, every search query is mandatorily tied to its legal justification by logging the authority case order number and the search query number. This creates an unbroken, irrefutable, end-to-end chain of custody for every piece of data accessed, ensuring you can meet any internal or external legal review with confidence.
Yes, REX fully supports and integrates crucial geolocation information. We enrich retained data with network data, such as cell identities and geographical coordinates, to provide critical context for investigations and rescue operations.
The platform is designed for the full scope of location-based inquiries: whether supporting real-time location queries, historical lookups, or geofencing-based investigations, REX ensures that all data access remains strictly controlled, fully auditable, and aligned with national and European legal requirements.
You can learn more on our dedicated Lawful Location Intelligence solution page.
REX is offered through a SaaS-based pricing model, ensuring the solution remains evergreen with continuous updates and support. This model is designed to be flexible and scalable to fit your specific needs. The structure typically depends on factors such as number of IMSIS, the number of authorized users, and the specific modules required. Please contact our sales team for a customized quote that reflects your operational reality.
Yes. REX is designed for flexible deployment, including a secure on-premise installation within your own data center. This gives you full control over your data and allows you to integrate the platform seamlessly with your existing security and infrastructure policies.
REX is built on a multi-layered "defense-in-depth" strategy, validated by our ISO 27001:2022 certification. Security is not a single feature but is engineered into every level of the platform:
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NETWORK & INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY: A standard REX deployment utilizes multiple security zones (often 2-4 distinct zones) to segregate services. The database cluster is almost always isolated in its own, most-secure zone.
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COMMUNICATION SECURITY: We enforce strict firewall rules that control all communication between these zones. This limits which servers can interact, what protocols they can use (e.g., only encrypted protocols), and with whom they can communicate.
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DATA SECURITY: All sensitive data is protected with encryption in transit (during communication).
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APPLICATION & USER SECURITY: Access is governed by strict Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). This ensures users can only see the specific data they are legally authorized to access. User roles are configured via LDAP/LDAPS, and we fully support multi-factor authentication (MFA/2FA) for secure login.
This multi-layered approach, combined with our comprehensive audit trails, ensures a truly hardened environment built to protect your most critical data.
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REX is built to handle the full spectrum of telecom data required for lawful disclosure. This includes call data records (CDRs), passive probe data (XDRs), public and private IP address data (NAT logs), mobile signaling, SMS records, and location data.
REX is engineered for exceptional speed, even with massive datasets. Our powerful indexing and optimized query engine allow for complex searches to be completed in seconds or minutes, not hours.
As our customer Telenor Norway stated, "Reports we previously had to wait several hours for are now generated in minutes or even seconds."
Yes, REX is a proven and trusted solution deployed by several of Europe's leading Tier 1 and Tier 2 Communication Service Providers (CSPs). Our platform is hardened and validated in some of the most demanding telecom environments.
Yes. REX is compliant with relevant ETSI standards for lawful interception and data retention. Our platform ensures full interoperability by generating and delivering export reports in standardized ETSI formats as required by law enforcement.
Furthermore, REX is architecturally prepared to integrate with cross-border data exchange systems like e-CODEX, ensuring you are ready for both today's requirements and the next generation of European lawful disclosure.
Yes. REX includes full functionality for "data freeze" or "data preservation orders". This critical feature allows authorized users to flag and protect specific data sets from the normal deletion cycle, ensuring they are preserved for the full duration of a long-term investigation as required by law.
Automated Data Retention & Disclosure for Telecom Operators
FAST. ACCURATE. COMPLIANT. SECURE.
Empower your telecom operations with Subtonomy REX. The leading high-speed data retention solution to automate data preservation, streamline lawful disclosure, and ensure full GDPR and ETSI compliance for telecommunications across Sweden, the EU, and beyond.
Automated Data Retention & Disclosure for Telecom Operators
FAST. ACCURATE. COMPLIANT. SECURE.
Empower your telecom operations with Subtonomy REX — the leading telecom data retention solution designed to automate data preservation, streamline lawful disclosure, and ensure full GDPR compliance for telecommunications across Sweden, the EU, and beyond.
THE CHALLENGE
Managing telecom data retention in a complex regulatory landscape
Across Europe, telecom operators face increasing regulatory pressure to comply with data retention legislation while maintaining customer privacy and network integrity. Many CSPs in Sweden and throughout the EU struggle with manual workflows, inconsistent systems, and costly operational bottlenecks. Common challenges include:
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SLOW, MANUAL PROCESSES – Searches often run overnight, causing delays and data loss.
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ACCURACY ISSUES – Inconsistent results and non-standardized formats.
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FRAGMENTED SYSTEMS – Data spread across multiple silos increases the risk of human error.
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DEPENDENCE ON KEY INDIVIDUALS – Small teams managing the entire process create operational risk and continuity issues.
THE REX DATA RETENTION PLATFORM
Your complete solution for secure & compliant data retention
Subtonomy REX is the industry’s most advanced platform for handling lawful data retention requests, enabling secure, automated, and lightning-fast responses that are fully compliant with GDPR and upcoming national regulations.
UNWAVERING COMPLIANCE & SECURITY
Achieve peace of mind with a solution designed for total compliance. We are ISO 27001:2022 certified, ensuring the highest security standards. Every query and action is logged in a detailed audit trail, making you fully prepared for any legal scrutiny. Our platform is built to exceed both ETSI and GDPR requirements.
UNMATCHED SPEED & EFFICIENCY
Transform your operational efficiency. Our powerful indexing allows you to execute complex searches on massive datasets in seconds, not hours. Automate the entire lifecycle of a disclosure request, from initial warrant to final data delivery.
"Reports we previously had to wait several hours for are now generated in minutes or even seconds."
– Telenor Norway
CONTROLLED ACCESS & FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT
Empower authorized personnel with a secure law enforcement access portal. You maintain full control over permissions and data subsets. REX offers flexible deployment, including secure on-premise installation, to fit your specific infrastructure and security policies.
ENRICHED DATA FOR
DEEPER INSIGHTS
Go beyond basic retention. REX can integrate and enrich retained data with crucial geolocation information, providing deeper context for investigations and allowing for more precise and valuable data disclosure.
Subtonomy REX collects, processes and maps data from several telecom data sources into ONE place
NETWORK DATA - REX collects processes and maps data from timing advance measurements, mobile signaling, billing CDRs and passive probes (XDRs). This data includes information on calls, SMS, roaming records (TAP files), both public and private IP addresses (NAT logs), data connections and location data.
IP ADDRESS DATA - REX efficiently handles IP address mapping by integrating and preprocessing data from multiple sources, ensuring compatibility across various sub-systems and reducing storage needs with advanced data processing techniques.
GEOLOCATION DATA - Positioning data primarily comes from network information, such as cell identities, geographical co-ordinates and cell directions. Positioning or location system data can be integrated if available.
REFERENCE DATA - REX integrates and enriches data by mapping signaling and IP records with CRM data, map data, cell inventory and device databases.
REAL-TIME & HISTORICAL DATA - REX accesses both real-time and historical data at the set number of days and subset of data that is authorized. All searches are logged and data is retained for the specific number of days.
PROVEN AND TRUSTED BY MAJOR EUROPEAN CSPS
"We’ve been using Subtonomy’s REX solution for Lawful Authority requests for several years now... We appreciate Subtonomy and their consistent reliability as a partner."
Leading Swedish Telecom Operator
PROVEN IN FIELD
Built for Telecom Operators.
Trusted by Authorities.
Subtonomy REX is a future-proof SaaS platform tailored for telecom operators to meet legal data retention and lawful request obligations with unmatched speed, integrity, and efficiency.
Trusted by Tier-1 European operators, REX consolidates retention and geolocation data into a single, secure application — purpose-built for today’s demands and tomorrow’s expectations.
Why Telecom Operators
choose REX for Legal Data Retention
INSTANT SEARCH RESULTS WITHIN 30 SEC
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Lightning fast individual records available within 30 seconds
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Preprocessed data enables immediate delivery to authorities
ONE SYSTEM - ALL DATA
Streamlined workflow in ONE consolidated system
Consolidates CDRs, NAT logs, passive probes, CRM, and network data
Eliminates silos and manual searches across disparate systems
AUTOMATION-FIRST APPROACH
Accurate results removes human error and reduces legal risk
Easy-to-use GUI speeds oresponse time, new onboarding and reduces reliance on skilled staff
Increases team efficiency and reduces operational costs
GDPR COMPLIANT & ISO 27001 CERTIFIED
Built-in controls for access, audit logging, and data minimization
Ensures only lawful and verified requests are processed
SECURE BY DESIGN
Fully on-premise deployment
Flexible retention times configured by type of record
Role-based access, secure transfer, and complete traceability
Complies with national and international standards (ETSI TS102 657 & custom national formats)
FUTUREPROOF FOR UPCOMING LEGISLATIONS
Designed to adapt to evolving legal frameworks and network techniques
Highly flexible in terms of data formats, delivery logic, and access models
Let’s Talk Future-Ready Retention
Subtonomy REX isn’t just a system, it’s your trusted partner for lawful data retention. Reduce integration effort, respond faster to lawful demands, and ensure end-to-end control.
Contact us to learn more or book a demo.