Samsung Electronics announced on November 24 that the company has been awarded a contract for the supply of smartphones and related accessories by the Home Office for use on the emergency services network (ESN), which will see a new communications network rolled out to all police, fire, ambulance and other public safety users across the UK.

The LTE smartphones which will be supplied by Samsung were developed through extensive R&D to provide the most suitable solution for the challenges which currently affect communication within the emergency services. Fully optimised for the emergency environment, it will have a rugged design, be water resistant and both hardware and software features that will support emergency services functionality and critical voice services.

The new network will replace the current Airwave system which is mainly limited to voice radio. ESN will provide mobile broadband data services based on LTE, allowing a huge range of additional capabilities for frontline staff such as live-streaming video, crime applications and location services. As Airwave is phased out in stages over the next few years, the Home Office and Cabinet Office expect substantial savings to the taxpayer.

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) will deliver the new network and devices.

Suk-Jea Hahn, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Global Mobile B2B Team: "We are excited to be part of the UK ESN project and awarded the contract to supply LTE smartphones and accessories for ESN in the UK. Next-generation public safety communications is an important area of focus for Samsung, and we are now looking forward to working in partnership with ESN and UK emergency services organisations to bring our technology to the entire public safety community on the front line, supporting the great work they do every day.”