A new communications system for emergency services to share more information in real-time is to be designed and built by tech firm IBM, the Home Office has announced.
The scandal-hit project to bring in the Emergency Services Network (ESN), first launched in 2015, was supposed to have replaced the ageing Airwave system for police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales, by 2020. But it has been beset by years of delays and costs running into billions of pounds.
It is set to support more than 300,000 emergency responders in Britain, and will allow police, fire and ambulance services to share live data and imagery, location reports and essential public safety information as they work on rescue and response incidents.
As part of the network, new software for handheld devices will provide data-sharing functions and real-time video features, as well as a push-to-talk feature for instant communications.
The Home Office said the system will help provide vital information to emergency services more quickly, for example instantly updating fire services about the make and model of a vehicle involved in a road traffic accident, which could then be cross-referenced with data on how to best use cutting equipment if someone is trapped, or where batteries are located on an electric car.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Every day our brave emergency services help members of the public facing life or death situations. We must do everything we can to maximise the chances of successful outcomes, and communications between frontline staff is critical to ensuring this.
“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.”
Rahul Kalia, managing partner at IBM UK and Ireland, said: “We are proud to support the Emergency Services Network in delivering a secure and resilient communications platform to empower frontline emergency services.
“Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain.
“We look forward to working with the Government to deliver this in a timely and cost-effective manner.”
In 2023 MPs warned that Britain’s blue light services were facing “significant costs” because of Home Office failures with the plan and said the former Conservative government had already spent more than £2 billion on the project.
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Telecoms company Motorola, which provides Airwave, was originally contracted to provide elements of the ESN, but in 2021 the Home Office wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressing concern its profits from Airwave were “excessive” and acted as a disincentive for completing the ESN on time.
After an initial estimate by the CMA that the company stood to make “super-normal profits” of £1.1 billion, Motorola told the Home Office it may not continue as a supplier to the ESN beyond 2024 amid fears it could be forced by the CMA to sell Airwave.
At the end of 2022, the Home Office agreed to end the contract early, paying Motorola £45 million, taking the total spent with the company on the project to more than £300 million even though it does not expect to be able to use any of its critical software or systems.
Now the Government has committed to “delivering the project as quickly as possible”, the Home Office said, with Dame Diana leading regular meetings to make sure it is running to time and cost.
The latest contract – at an overall cost of £1.362 billion – is for an initial term of seven years until the end of 2031 but includes optional extensions until the end of 2033.