TfL contracts Capita for London Underground section of emergency services network

Capita will deliver the London Underground section of the network infrastructure that will underpin the Home Office’s mobile communications network for emergency services.

The Emergency Services Network, as it is known, will replace the existing Airwave network for police, fire and rescue, and ambulance services across the UK. The mobile service will be independent of public mobile phone networks. 

Transport for London (TfL) awarded the contract, worth £23.5m over 12 months, to Capita, with the supplier designing and implementing the network in the London Underground. It will use services, including 4G, to enable emergency services teams throughout the London Underground environment to communicate.

Capita will install and test a network of cables in tunnels as well as installation and testing of local area network infrastructure on platforms and in stations. Mobile network provider EE will use the infrastructure to provide the mobile service..

“This contract delivers key elements of the infrastructure required to bring the new Emergency Services Network to the London Underground network,” said Shashi Verma, chief technology officer at TfL. “With close to half of the Tube located underground, it’s vital that this system will help support the police, fire and ambulance services if they are required to help our customers.”

ESN should offer significant benefits to officers across all three emergency services. For example, transitioning police officers away from radios and on to mobile telephones is in line with the evolution of emergency services communications. With services’ investment in mobile policing, wearables and in-vehicle devices already under way, there is clearly an appetite for enhanced data capabilities.

There have been delays to the ESN roll-out which have been a source of much concern among emergency services stakeholders, as well as the MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), who have scrutinised the programme at length.