RNS Number:0058U
O2 PLC
11 November 2005
O2 AIRWAVE SELECTED FOR NATIONWIDE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS
Released: 11 November 2005
Firelink, the procuring body for the national communications contract, today
confirmed that O2 Airwave has been successful in the bid to equip all fire and
rescue services across England with a new resilient and secure voice and data
communications service. The company will work with the Firelink ODPM team to
conclude final contract matters in the near future.
The announcement comes prior to contract award, which is expected before the end
of the year.
Fire Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, said: "We are investing heavily in the fire and
rescue service to ensure that it is able to meet the challenges of the modern
world. Today's announcement is a major milestone in achieving this.
"Firelink will transform the current arrangements and give the service, for the
very first time, the same digital radio system across the country - a system
that will enable firefighters to communicate not only between fire and rescue
services but also with the other emergency services, regardless of location."
Jeff Parris, Vice President for O2 Airwave, commented: "Today's announcement
gives us an opportunity to prove that we can provide the nation's Fire Services
with the very best in communications. We look forward to working closely with
the Firelink team over the next few weeks."
The Airwave service has been taken up by 182 Public Safety Organisations
including all police forces throughout the UK and all English Ambulance Trusts.
The Fire and Rescue Services would become the third major emergency service on
the network. Airwave is already one of the largest public safety networks in the
world and provides extensive coverage with encrypted digital communications.
With other Airwave users including the Highways Agency, MOD and Immigration
Service, the potential number of UK users is now well in excess of a quarter of
a million.
-ends-
Notes to editors
Key Features of Airwave
Airwave is a sophisticated communications system for the emergency and other
public safety ('blue light') services. It will help make Britain safer by
facilitating more effective and efficient ways of working for the emergency
services, and the opportunity for more 'joined up' public safety services.
*For the first time ever, emergency services can have radio coverage
whenever and wherever they need it - even in radio 'cold spots'.
*Airwave will enable emergency services to communicate seamlessly
regardless of location for the first time ever
*Because all Airwave communications are encrypted, they cannot be scanned
or monitored by outsiders. The network is highly resilient
*The system enables both voice and data communications and gives the
emergency services wide flexibility in choosing how to communicate.
The Technology
O2 Airwave uses Motorola TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) technology. TETRA is
an open digital trunked radio standard defined by the European
Telecommunications Standardisation Institute (ETSI) to meet the needs of the
most demanding professional mobile radio users. Motorola has been awarded more
than 210 TETRA contracts in 57 countries and its level three encryption security
will provide the highest level of secure TETRA communications technology
commercially available today. For more information: www.motorola.com/TETRA.
O2 plc
O2 plc has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in three countries - the
UK, Germany and Ireland - as well as a leading mobile Internet portal business.
All of these businesses are branded as 'O2'. The company is a founding member of
Starmap Mobile Alliance, has operations on the Isle of Man (Manx Telecom) and
owns O2 Airwave - an advanced, digital emergency communications service. In
addition, O2 has established the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture
businesses in the UK and Germany respectively.
O2 has around 25 million customers and some 15,000 employees. It reported
revenues for the year ended 31 March 2005 of #6.683 billion.
O2 plc contact: O2 Airwave contact:
David Nicholas Sue Moore
Director of Communications Communications Manager
O2 plc O2 Airwave
david.nicholas@o2.com susan.moore@o2.com
t: +44 (0) 771 575 9176 T; +44 (0) 776 435 0834
O2 press office: +44 (0) 1753 628402
All O2 Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.o2.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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