Home Office officials reveal plans to introduce mobile phone coverage on the London Underground with a new emergency services network.
In association with Transport for London, this ambitious £1.2bn project could replace the national communications network upon which hundreds of thousands of police, paramedics and fire crew currently rely.
Replacing the current system known as Airwave, the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) will be based on EE’s 4G network.
Stephen Webb, civil servant responsible for the programme, told MPs:
“The decision we need to make now is whether we go for a solution that is just for the emergency services or do we combine it with one that also delivers service for the general public.”
Rival mobile operators have raised concerns with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), stating EE will benefit unfairly due to state funded investment in new mobile masts in order to improve coverage for the emergency services. Although extra sites for mobile masts will be made available, according to the Home Office, rival operators would have to provide funding of their own.
O2 reacted to this by saying:
“state-funded ESN sites need to be designed and delivered in a way that enables multi-occupancy.”
Whilst a Vodafone spokesman said:
“It will be a major wasted opportunity if all mobile companies do not have access to these sites, which have the potential to significantly improve coverage in some of the hardest to reach rural areas, and along some of the key rail and road routes.
“A huge amount of public money has gone in and therefore EE must build multi-occupancy sites which can provide mobile coverage to everyone.”
The first region due to be switched over from Airwave has been pushed back from September next year into 2018.
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