en.Wedoany.com Reported - Swiss Federal Councillor for Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) Martin Pfister, together with Federal Councillor Beat Jans, Chief of the Armed Forces Jakob Signer, and Cantonal Councillor Karin Kaiser-Frutsch, gave the starting signal for the Mobile Secure Communication System (MSK) project, marking the official commencement of planning and preliminary project execution by the authorities.

According to a VBS announcement, the implementation of the MSK project will be carried out in collaboration with partners of the Swiss Security Alliance (SVS) and the cantons. Since early 2026, VBS has worked with stakeholders to establish the foundations for the launch phase in terms of goal setting, governance, and timelines. The Cyber Command will be responsible for the construction, operation, and further development of MSK. The MSK preliminary project aims to lay the professional, organisational, financial, and technical groundwork for the main project and subsequent operations, with VBS emphasising a strong focus on close cooperation with user organisations. During the preliminary project, the needs of various stakeholders will be coordinated, the project scope defined, and application scenarios and concepts developed. Additionally, the solution architecture as well as concepts for operations, support, and service management will be planned. The federal government and cantons will jointly coordinate the financing model and develop migration and expansion scenarios.

The "Polycom Value Retention 2030" (WEP2030) project is expected to be completed by mid-2026, ensuring the operation of the existing Polycom system until 2035. VBS stated that the original budget will be adhered to, and after ten years of operation, the project will be completed with a six-month delay.

The Federal Council had previously designated the construction of the new Mobile Secure Communication System (MSK) project as a key project for federal administration. Such projects are of particular importance due to their scale, strategic significance, complexity, or risk, requiring enhanced guidance, coordination, and oversight, and will be systematically audited by the Federal Audit Office.

VBS Minister Martin Pfister has placed the Polycom successor project under new leadership, with the MSK project now under the responsibility of the Cyber Command within the Defence Group. VBS and the cantons jointly launched the preliminary project, which was previously led by the Federal Office for Civil Protection (BABS). The federal government initially considered having the cantons and their Police Technology and Informatics departments (PTI) lead the project. By transferring leadership to the Cyber Command, the federal government aims to better leverage synergies with the "Military Communications" and "Civil Service Sharing" (MzD) projects, although MSK and MzD will remain independently managed projects. The Polycom network is to be replaced by 2035 to establish a unified, crisis-resistant, and fail-safe broadband mobile secure communication system for the federal government, cantons, and third parties. According to the announcement, during the preliminary project, the tasks, authorities, responsibilities, financing, and project organisation of MSK will be determined within the year. The governance structure will also be established at that time and approved by the Federal Council and the relevant cantonal government conferences.

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