SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, FRANCE – November 2026 – RugGear, a global leading provider of rugged mobile devices for mission-critical and industrial environments, has successfully participated in the 1st ETSI MCX Off-Network Plugtests™, held from 3 to 6 November 2026 at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) headquarters in Sophia Antipolis, France. The event marks an important milestone in advancing interoperability and the development of 3GPP-standardised Mission Critical Services (MCX) beyond conventional cellular network coverage.

With a particular focus on 5G New Radio (NR) Sidelink, the Plugtests brought together industry participants to evaluate off-network MCX capabilities and multi-vendor interoperability. Based on the 3GPP PC5 interface, NR Sidelink enables direct device-to-device communications without relying on conventional cellular network infrastructure, providing an additional layer of resilience when networks are unavailable or disrupted.

For public safety and emergency response teams, this technology represents a significant step towards maintaining mission-critical voice and other broadband communications in challenging operational environments.

Building on its early developments in MCX Direct Mode, in collaboration with Qualcomm, RugGear continues to advance rugged device capabilities for next-generation mission-critical communications.

The first ETSI MCX Off-Network Plugtests represents an important milestone for the mission-critical communications industry, highlighting the role of 5G NR Sidelink in extending MCX capabilities beyond traditional network infrastructure. Interoperability remains essential to translating this technology into practical solutions for public safety and critical industries. RugGear continues to work with industry partners to advance reliable, standards-based communications solutions for frontline professionals and mission-critical operations.

RugGear's participation reinforces its commitment to the global MCX ecosystem and the continued evolution of 3GPP-standardised broadband communications. As the industry moves towards next-generation public safety networks, 5G NR Sidelink will play an increasingly important role in complementing cellular connectivity and bridging the gap between broadband MCX and traditional LMR direct-mode communications.

For mission-critical operations, connectivity must extend beyond network boundaries – because when lives are at stake, network failure cannot be an option.

Photo Credit: ETSI