The Emergency Services Network (ESN) is intended to replace Airwave, the system currently used by emergency services in Great Britain to communicate.
All of the UK’s emergency services and over 300 public safety organisations communicate using Airwave and its coverage is superior to any of the publicly available networks. But it runs on a 2G connection, which limits its functionality.
The 4G connection provided by ESN will allow for live video streaming from officers on the scene and quick transfer of data relevant to ongoing incidents.
According to an NAO report, by March 2023, the Home Office will have spent just under £2bn on ESN, and a further £2.9bn to maintain Airwave.
Eight years after proposals for ESN first emerged and having agreed Motorola will no longer work on the network after 2023, the Home Office does not currently know when it will be ready or how much it will cost.
In 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an inv...