Emergency Services Network

Last updated

The Emergency Services Network is an LTE radio communications network under development in the United Kingdom to provide unified communication for British emergency services. It is intended to replace the existing TETRA-based Airwave network in 2026, seven years after the original planned date of 2019. [1] [2]

Contents

The ESN is intended to offer the following services: [1]

As part of the construction of the ESN, almost 300 extra 4G sites will be added to extend the reach of the EE network to more remote parts of the country. The ESN will also serve the London Underground network. [1]

History

In April 2014, the government announced the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) to migrate emergency services to a 4G-based network, to be called the Emergency Services Network. One of the intentions of this program was to switch from the private Airwave network to an existing commercial network. The switch was intended to begin in 2017 and be completed in 2019 before the existing Airwave contract was set to expire. [3]

Implementation of the network was split into three lots. In June 2015, O2 announced they would be pulling out the bidding process for providing mobile services which left only EE in negotiations. At this point Airwave was not listed as bidding for operating any part of the ESMCP. [4] In August 2015 the delivery partner was named as Kellogg Brown & Root. [5] Finally, in December 2015 EE was officially announced as the provider of mobile services and Motorola Solutions was named as the provider of user services. [3]

Delays

In January 2017, the Public Accounts Committee announced that the ESN might not be ready for its December 2019 deadline. [6] In September 2018, it was announced that Airwave's existing contract would be renewed until December 2022. [7] [8]

In June 2022, a procurement request was issued for up to three suppliers of TETRA Encryption Algorithm 2 radio devices, and other maintenance services. [2] As of 2022, the ESN is now expected to start operations from 2026. [2]

ESN Beta

ESN Beta is a beta test network intended as a forerunner to the ESN. It is not intended to be used for mission-critical operations. [1] This is to be followed by ESN Version 1.0, the first fielded version of the ESN service. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Mobile Phone System</span> Analog mobile phone system standard

Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was an analog mobile phone system standard originally developed by Bell Labs and later modified in a cooperative effort between Bell Labs and Motorola. It was officially introduced in the Americas on October 13, 1983, and was deployed in many other countries too, including Israel in 1986, Australia in 1987, Singapore in 1988, and Pakistan in 1990. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s. As of February 18, 2008, carriers in the United States were no longer required to support AMPS and companies such as AT&T and Verizon Communications have discontinued this service permanently. AMPS was discontinued in Australia in September 2000, in India by October 2004, in Israel by January 2010, and Brazil by 2010.

Telecommunications in the United Kingdom have evolved from the early days of the telegraph to modern broadband and mobile phone networks with Internet services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3G</span> Third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology

3G is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. It is the upgrade to 2G, 2.5G, GPRS and 2.75G Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution networks, offering faster data transfer, and better voice quality. This network was superseded by 4G, and later by 5G. This network is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications set by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G is used in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

Terrestrial Trunked Radio, a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification. TETRA was specifically designed for use by government agencies, emergency services, for public safety networks, rail transport staff for train radios, transport services and the military. TETRA is the European version of trunked radio, similar to Project 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AT&T Mobility</span> American telecommunications company

AT&T Mobility, LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the second largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 114.5 million subscribers as of March 31, 2024.

The Government Radio Network (GRN) is a network of various systems in place across Australia that enable statewide trunked radio communication. The network operates through inter-linked sites for government and public services such as police, ambulance, fire, or roads authorities which require such a system to function properly. The main aim of the GRN is to consolidate all resources into one network, ensuring greater coverage and reliability than if each department had its own independent communication system. The existence of the GRN also reduces the amount of government money and resources needed to maintain communication between units of emergency and public service branches. Last, it allows effective intercommunication among these services in times of national or state emergency for coordination of wide-scale actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of mobile phones</span> Mobile communication devices

The history of mobile phones covers mobile communication devices that connect wirelessly to the public switched telephone network.

Vodafone Limited, trading as Vodafone UK, is a British telecommunications company, owned by Vodafone Group, the world's eighth-largest telecommunications company. Vodafone is the third-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 18.6 million subscribers as of May 2024, after O2 and EE, followed by Three. The country's first cellular phone call was made on the Vodafone network in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola Solutions</span> American data communications and telecommunications equipment provider

Motorola Solutions, Inc. is an American video equipment, telecommunications equipment, software, systems and services provider that succeeded Motorola, Inc., following the spinoff of the mobile phone division into Motorola Mobility in 2011. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaky feeder</span> Communications system used in underground mining and tunnel environments

A leaky feeder is a communications system used in underground mining and other tunnel environments. Manufacturers and cabling professionals use the term "radiating cable" as this implies that the cable is designed to radiate: something that coaxial cable is not generally supposed to do.

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) is a point-to-multipoint interface specification for existing 3GPP cellular networks, which is designed to provide efficient delivery of broadcast and multicast services, both within a cell as well as within the core network. For broadcast transmission across multiple cells, it defines transmission via single-frequency network configurations. The specification is referred to as Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (eMBMS) when transmissions are delivered through an LTE network. eMBMS is also known as LTE Broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum auction</span> Government auction of radio spectrum

A spectrum auction is a process whereby a government uses an auction system to sell the rights to transmit signals over specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum and to assign scarce spectrum resources. Depending on the specific auction format used, a spectrum auction can last from a single day to several months from the opening bid to the final winning bid. With a well-designed auction, resources are allocated efficiently to the parties that value them the most, the government securing revenue in the process. Spectrum auctions are a step toward market-based spectrum management and privatization of public airwaves, and are a way for governments to allocate scarce resources.

Airwave Solutions Ltd. is a British mobile communication company that operates the Airwave network, a mobile communications network used by Great Britain's emergency services. The Airwave network is based on the specialist Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) specification. Airwave was acquired by Motorola Solutions in February 2016 and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT Mobile</span> British mobile virtual network operator

BT Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) provided by BT Consumer; a division of BT Group in the United Kingdom that was launched in March 2015. It uses the EE network via an MVNO agreement signed in March 2014 as well as using the spectrum BT won in the 2013 4G auction. EE is now owned by BT following a successful acquisition that was officially completed on 29 January 2016. BT Mobile operates alongside BT Business Mobile which is provided by the BT Business and Public Sector division. BT Mobile launched as a SIM-only service and had more than 400,000 customers as of 5 May 2016. BT Mobile stopped accepting new consumer customers in October 2023, as part of plans by the BT Group to make EE the main brand of the consumer business.

DIMETRA IP is the brand name under which Motorola markets its implementation of the TETRA digital radio communications standard. When Motorola split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility in 2011, Motorola Solutions retained Dimetra and other public safety brands and products while Motorola Mobility retained smartphones and other consumer products. Both companies continue to share the "Batwings" logo.

In telecommunications, long-term evolution (LTE) is a standard for wireless broadband communication for mobile devices and data terminals, based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA standards. It improves on those standards' capacity and speed by using a different radio interface and core network improvements. LTE is the upgrade path for carriers with both GSM/UMTS networks and CDMA2000 networks. Because LTE frequencies and bands differ from country to country, only multi-band phones can use LTE in all countries where it is supported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O2 (UK)</span> British telecommunications provider

Telefonica UK Limited, trading as O2 (stylised as O2), is a British telecommunications services provider, headquartered in Reading, England which operates under the O2 brand. It is owned by VMED O2 UK Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between Telefónica and Liberty Global. O2 is the UK's largest mobile network operator, with 23.8 million subscribers as of May 2023.

EE is a British mobile network operator, internet service provider and a brand of BT Consumer, a division of BT Group. It was established in 2010 and is the second-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 21.2 million customers as of September 2022.

Hutchison 3G UK Limited, trading as Three UK, is a British telecommunications company based in Reading, England. It is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings, a limited liability Cayman Islands company registered and listed in Hong Kong. Three is the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with about 10.6 million subscribers as of May 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz (mobile network operator)</span> Pakistani telecommunications company

Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), doing business as Jazz, (Urdu: جاز) is Pakistan's largest mobile network and internet services provider formed by the merger of Mobilink and Warid Pakistan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Emergency Services Network: overview". GOV.UK. 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  2. 1 2 3 Clark, Lindsay (9 June 2022). "UK police to spend tens of millions on legacy comms network kit". The Register. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Emergency services network". gov.uk . 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  4. "Emergency network plans questioned". BBC News . 10 June 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  5. Penning, Mike (27 August 2015). "First contract for new emergency services network awarded". gov.uk . Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  6. "Emergency services' radio replacement delays 'could cost millions'". BBC News . 25 January 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  7. "Motorola Solutions Reaches Agreement with UK Home Office to Implement ESN Phased Approach and Extend Airwave Network". Motorola Solutions . 21 September 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  8. "Huawei's kit removed from emergency services 4G network". BBC News . 24 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  9. "ESN exclusive: in sight of the finishing line". Critical Communications Today. Retrieved 2022-07-28.