The U.K. Home Office awarded Samsung Electronics a £210 million (US$280.1 million) three-year contract to supply 250,000 smartphones and related accessories for use on the Emergency Services Network (ESN), a new communications network planned for all U.K. police, fire, ambulance and other public-safety users.
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“Using a single ESN 4G device is more effective, efficient and less costly than using a combination of the existing Airwave devices and multiple commercial networks and standard 4G devices,” the U.K. Home Office said.
Samsung said its Long Term Evolution (LTE) smartphones were developed through extensive research and development (R&D) to provide the most suitable solution for emergency services communications. The rugged design is water resistant, and both hardware and software features will support emergency services functionality and critical voice services.
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) will deliver the new network and devices.
“We are excited to be part of the U.K. ESN project and awarded the contract to supply LTE smartphones and accessories for ESN in the U.K. 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 U.K. emergency services organizations to bring our technology to the entire public-safety community on the front line, supporting the great work they do every day.”
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