British Counterpart of FirstNet is Way Over Budget

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With the adoption of FirstNet, emergency services in the United States continue to speed up and improve communications between police, medical personnel, and school administrators.  In Great Britain, progress is slower, reports the BBC.  The current emergency information network, Airwave, has been in place since 2000 and was due to be replaced in 2017.  However, the ESN (Emergence Services Network) is still not available.

Extensions were granted by the Home Office, bumping the implementation date out to 2022.  Unfortunately, a report released by the NAO (National Auditing Office) claims that poor management by the Home Office makes the 2022 date questionable.  The project is currently £3.1B (US$4B) in the hole, according to the NAO.

In response, a representative of the Home Office stated that ESN was on track for 2022, and would be ready “to deliver an ambitious, world-leading, digital communications network.”  Plans call for ESN users to be able to connect in to an existing 4G commercial network. The intention is to improve communication speed for emergency personnel, maintain a strong connection, and keep expenses down by utilizing existing resources where possible.

While the official word sounds positive, consumer-driven advocates have cautioned that, “to date, the Home Office’s management of this critical programme has represented poor value for money.”  Meanwhile, all 107 police, fire and ambulance personnel in England, Scotland and Wales rely on the increasingly outdated Airwave system.

May 13, 2019

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