ASTRID

Overview

ASTRID is the specialised telecom operator for the emergency and safety services in Belgium. It was set up in 1998 as a public limited company under public law, under the law of 8 June 1998 on the radio communications of the emergency and safety services, and was created by the Federal Investment Company. The federal government held 61 percent at founding and local authorities 39 percent; since 2011 the federal state has been the sole owner through the Federal Participation and Investment Company. The company is based in Brussels and has around 100 employees across three departments: Technology & Operations, External Relations, and Administration & Finance. ASTRID runs four services: radio communications, paging, dispatching, and mobile voice and data. The radio network is built on the TETRA standard in the 380-400 MHz band reserved in Europe for emergency and security services, carries over two million radio contacts a day and sets up a connection in under 300 milliseconds. The paging network delivers more than 7,200 alert messages a day to fire and rescue services. Blue Light Mobile gives priority on the Proximus network with automatic fallback to BASE or Orange. Eleven provincial control rooms run ASTRID computer-aided dispatch systems and handle around 8,000 emergency calls a day, including all 101 calls. More than 70,000 users at some 750 organisations are on the network, among them police, fire services, medical services, Civil Protection, customs and Defence, alongside public transport operators, energy suppliers, security firms and Seveso sites. Salvator Vella is CEO.

Stated facts & numbers

• Founded: 1998
• Legal form: Public limited company under public law
• Headquarters: Brussels
• Employees: Around 100
• CEO: Salvator Vella
• Chair of the board: Ingrid Moerman
• Ownership: Belgian federal state, through the Federal Participation and Investment Company since 2011
• Supervision: Minister of the Interior and Minister of the Budget
• Services: Radio communications, paging, dispatching, mobile voice and data
• Network: TETRA, 380-400 MHz
• Users: More than 70,000, at some 750 organisations
• Radio traffic: Over 2 million contacts a day
• Paging traffic: More than 7,200 alert messages a day
• Dispatching: 11 provincial control rooms, around 8,000 emergency calls a day
• Annual operating grant: 46.5M EUR from the FPS Interior budget
• Investment programme 2023-2027: 117M EUR, recovered through user subscriptions
• Management contract: Fourth management contract, 2023-2027, set by royal decree