From hours to seconds: Telia’s vital transformation journey with REX
Norwegian nature is as beautiful as it is unforgiving, with extreme temperatures and demanding terrain ranging from deep forests to steep mountains. When accidents happen and someone gets lost, such as during severe weather search operations, time is the single most important factor for survival. For Telia Norway, this realization has driven a massive journey of change — from facing criticism in the media to today setting a completely new global standard for how mobile networks can be used to save lives. At the core of this transformation is the REX platform from Subtonomy and a continuously deepening collaboration with Norwegian rescue authorities and volunteer organizations.
A rude awakening for Telia Norway (2015)
The journey began from a tough starting point. In 2015, Norwegian media highlighted that a person's choice of mobile operator could literally mean the difference between life and death on the mountain. At that time, an average search and rescue (SAR) mission took 10–15 hours. Methods for positioning a person in distress relied solely on data from the last connected mobile mast, which resulted in enormous search areas. In some cases, these areas stretched over 6,000 x 5,500 meters or up to 8.8 x 6.9 kilometers. The work was complex, manual, and involved extreme stress for Telia's employees. Telia realized they needed to be better.
Step 1: REX and the first precision (2016–2020)
In 2017, Telia began its transformation journey by implementing Subtonomy REX, a software platform that aggregates and processes fragmented data from a variety of network sources into a single consolidated system. Between 2016 and 2020, Telia began using "Timing Advance" (TA) technology from a single base station to calculate the distance to the mobile phone. This was the first major step that drastically shrank the search area, from several square kilometers down to areas of around 1,750 x 165 meters.
Step 2: Triangulation and revolutionary speed with REX (2020–2024)
The next major breakthrough occurred after 2020 when Telia began applying refined technology and triangulation by measuring TA from several different base stations simultaneously. The result was a dramatic increase in precision that reduced the search area's radius to a mere 100 meters.
With the help of REX, the process today is almost instantaneous. When an emergency call comes in, the rescue team receives actionable data and a precise position in under 30 seconds. This efficiency has brought the average time to find a missing person down to under two hours, representing a massive 87 percent time saving compared to 2015. Telia's success in the SAR area has even become a competitive advantage, helping them win large public sector contracts.
...average time to find a missing person down to under two hours, representing a massive 87 percent time saving compared to 2015.
Step 3: Micro-precision from the air with MPDLS
To further sharpen the results in the final and most critical stage of a rescue mission, Telia collaborates with the authorities' rescue helicopters. These helicopters are equipped with a system called MPDLS (Mobile Phone Detection and Location System), which acts as a moving base station. When the helicopter approaches the 100-meter area identified by Telia, the missing person's phone automatically connects to the helicopter. By flying in circles over the area, the system can pinpoint the person's position with a margin of error of just 10 to 15 meters. In 2023 alone, this MPDLS technology was used in 101 cases, and in 29 of these, the technology was the sole reason the person survived.
In 2023 alone, this MPDLS technology was used in 101 cases, and in 29 of these, the technology was the sole reason the person survived.
Step 4: "Historical Timing Advance" during avalanches
However, conditions are not always optimal. What happens if the battery dies or if the person is buried in an avalanche where the signal cannot reach? Telia has addressed this by integrating "Historical Timing Advance" into REX, which is described as a paradigm shift in rescue operations during avalanches. Instead of searching through massive areas, the system can now look back in time and pinpoint exactly where a person was at the moment the device lost contact with the network. This data also provides rescue workers with information on how many active devices were in the avalanche area, ensuring that no one is left behind under the snow.
Step 5: Covering blank spots in the field with Norsk Folkehjelp
In addition to delivering data to the command center, the journey is also about assisting rescue personnel on the ground. Previously, search patrols from the volunteer organization Norsk Folkehjelp (Norwegian People's Aid) had to rely on paper maps, but today their operations are digitalized. Telia sponsors the organization with tablets and data SIMs so that patrols can instantly download high-resolution, topographical maps via the 5G network upon arriving at the search area.
To solve the problem of remote fjords and valleys completely lacking coverage, Telia and Norsk Folkehjelp launched a pilot project in 2023. The concept relies on tactical, mobile base stations mounted on rescue vehicles to create a temporary local network. Originally developed for military use, this technology is now used to provide search patrols with connectivity, thereby drastically increasing the chances of finding missing persons in dead zones.
When it comes to saving lives, collaboration is always more important than competition. Therefore, Telia and all the other competing telecom operators work together with the authorities in Norway to improve the rescue process step-by-step and strengthen their life-saving capabilities.
