The UK's Home Office has selected IBM to develop a new communications network for frontline emergency services.
The Home Office revealed this week it had chosen IBM to support the modernization of the UK's Emergency Services Network (ESN) following a series of delays by previous suppliers.
Vendors Ericsson and Samsung have both separately revealed they will support IBM's role in the ESN.
The ESN is set to support more than 300,000 emergency responders in Great Britain, providing mobile services to the police, fire, and ambulance services in England, Scotland, and Wales. Airwave had initially been selected to deliver the ESN, before being dumped.
This week's announcement follows BT Group signing a new £1.29 billion ($1.67bn) contract with the Home Office last month that will see the carrier provide mobile services for the government’s ESN over the next seven years.
Ericsson noted that it will leverage its Core network, and business and operations support systems portfolios, while Samsung said it will work with IBM as the mission-critical (MCX) solution provider.
Samsung said its selection is the company's first major mission-critical project in the UK.
"This government is working tirelessly to support this project, making sure it is delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner, and IBM will be an important part of bringing the Emergency Services Network online," said Minister for policing, fire and crime prevention, Dame Diana Johnson.
The Home Office stated that software for new handheld devices will support data-sharing functions and real-time video features, providing personnel with the critical information they need to save lives, plus push-to-talk protocol for instant communications.
Financial terms for IBM's deal with The Home Office were not revealed, though The Telegraph reported last month that IBM was poised to beat BT to the deal, noting that the contract was worth £895 million ($1.1bn).
"We are proud to support the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in delivering a secure and resilient communications platform to empower frontline emergency services," said Rahul Kalia, managing partner at IBM UK and Ireland. "Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain."
Delays have hindered the ESN rollout
First proposed in 2015, the ESN was meant to have been in use by 2020, but has suffered numerous delays. The government launched the £895m ($1.1bn) tender in May 2023, as part of its search for Motorola's replacement.
In March 2023, the Home Office revealed it was unsure when the UK government’s 4G-based ESN would be ready after a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found it could be delayed until 2029 or later. The report revealed that the Home Office paid out £45 million ($56m) to terminate its contract with Motorola Solutions two years early for the delivery of the core voice application for the ESN.
The Home Office has spent £2bn ($2.5bn) on the ESN project so far, while spending a further £2.9bn ($3.6bn) to keep Airwave going.
In 2022, the UK imposed a price cap on how much Motorola Solutions can charge the emergency services to use its Airwave radio network, following an investigation by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA).
