News and Events

Arup appointed to £1bn mobile communications programme

Get in touch
UK Press Team
27 August 2015

Arup has been appointed to the UK Home Office’s ground breaking £1bn Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), in order to enhance critical emergency services capability and improve public safety.

Arup will support KBR Ltd to deliver a modernised communications and data service using 4G technology. This is the first time emergency services operations will be managed at scale across a commercial network anywhere in the world.

Arup will provide project management support, technical assurance and specialist training services to a network of approx. 300,000 staff across the Police, Fire and Ambulance Services and Trusts in the UK.

The new system, called the Emergency Service Network (ESN), will provide frontline responders with extensive communication and data coverage, high resilience and appropriate security. This is to ensure that the emergency services, along with the other civil contingency authorities, are able to protect the public and save lives, even under the most challenging circumstances.

“

Introducing a new communications system to a network of 300,000 staff and 45,000 vehicles is no small feat. But our in-depth knowledge of the latest technology coupled with experience of designing and delivering integrated communications infrastructure, means we are well placed to implement a programme of this scale. Then once the technology has been installed, our operational readiness team will bring the systems and people together to enable a smooth transition from the old to the new. ” Paul Hyde Associate Director

“

We are delighted to have been selected by the Home Office to manage this critical communications service. At the heart of this programme is public safety and we look forward to playing our part in the delivery of an enhanced, more flexible, and more affordable communications and data capability, fit for our emergency services in the 21st century. ” Andrew Barrie Head of Government Services, KBR Ltd

Work to deliver the new ESN will commence immediately and is scheduled to run for just over four and a half years.

The team combines resources and skills from a range of experts from both the public sector and industry including the 3ES.