The Ministry of Defence is to adopt the controversial Airwave
digital radio service for secure military radio communications on
the UK mainland.
David Lynam, director of equipment capability at the MoD, said,
"The Airwave service can provide defence with a fully integrated
and secure communications service that will increase our ability to
work more efficiently and effectively across the MoD and
potentially with other public safety organisations."
The move will see Airwave become the de facto military standard for
secure radio communications in the UK. The service, which is
designed to replace existing analogue networks, offers digital
voice quality, data transfer and guaranteed coverage levels.
A comprehensive Airwave network is currently being built to help
police forces meet the Government's 2005 deadline for migrating
emergency services to secure digital radio systems. The service is
expected to help eliminate blackspots and improve the safety of
users.
However, last year the Police Federation said some studies had
shown that Airwave's Terrestrial Trunked Radio digital handsets and
mobile radios could pose a health risk to users. The police service
maintains there is no obvious threat to health.