This milestone underscores Samsung’s commitment to advancing mission-critical networks globally, supporting government agencies to keep communities safe. Designed to prioritise network access for first responders in emergencies, ESN will deliver reliable and seamless connectivity to over 300,000 first responders in the U.K.

Alongside IBM and other industry-leading partners, Samsung will support the core mission-critical communications systems with its best-in-class MCX solution, which is backed by Samsung’s deep expertise honed from successful nationwide public safety network deployments in the U.S. and Korea. Samsung’s MCPTX solution will enable intuitive multimedia sharing in real-time, allowing first responders to assess emergency situations more accurately as well as act with enhanced responsiveness.

“As mission-critical communications are of the utmost importance for the nation’s security and protection of its citizens, Samsung is proud to take part in this program to evolve public safety networks in the U.K.,” said Everth Flores, Vice President and Head of Samsung Networks Europe. “At the heart of this collaboration lies Samsung’s undisputed technological competence, on top of the solid trust that we have garnered with our successful mission-critical solution deployments around the globe. Harnessing the momentum of this milestone, Samsung will continue to contribute to building a more secure, connected society.”

“We are proud to support the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in delivering a secure and resilient communications platform to empower frontline emergency services,” said Rahul Kalia, Managing Partner at IBM UK and Ireland. “Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain. We look forward to working with the Government to deliver this in a timely and cost-effective manner.”

With its full suite of mission-critical solutions, Samsung has accumulated its expertise in the public safety sector globally by working together with leading operators and government stakeholders on successful MCPTX deployments, starting with building the world’s first 3GPP standard-compliant nationwide public safety network in South Korea. The company also worked with one of the largest national operators in the U.S. to bring America’s first-ever nationwide MCPTX solution. More recently in Canada, Samsung teamed up with Tier 1 operator to deploy the country’s first MCTPX solution in 2022.

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London, UK – 20 March 2018 – Samsung Electronics today revealed its new smartphone device that will be deployed to front line emergency staff as part of the roll-out of the Emergency Services Network (ESN).The device has been showcased at British APCO, a leading public safety technology event.

Developed through extensive R&D, the smartphone supplied by Samsung is fully optimised for the emergency environment, supporting all emergency services functionality and critical voice services.

Through “Public Safety-LTE” 4G networking, users will have access to both prioritised voice calls and rich data applications on the same device for the first time; which could include live video broadcasting and quick access to records and intelligence. With a “push to talk” button, users can communicate instantly across emergency service talk groups to better cooperate when responding to tasks.

Ruggedised for use in the field, the device also features a damage-resistant, Gorilla Glass 4 screen and IP68 water and dust resistance.

It is anticipated that the use of a single ESN 4G device will be more efficient and cost effective than using a combination of the existing Airwave devices with multiple commercial networks and standard 4G devices[i].

Currently undergoing delivery, the Emergency Services Network (ESN) will provide secure and resilient voice communication as well as broadband data services, replacing the current Airwave system which is mainly limited to voice radio.

Nick Ross, Head of Public Safety, Samsung UK & Ireland: “Emergency services staff on the front line require devices that are tough and reliable with seamless connectivity. Through rigorous testing specific to the needs of critical communications, we have developed a device that delivers on all of these points. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with ESN and UK emergency services organisations, making next-generation technology available across the public safety community.”

The LTE smartphones which will be supplied by Samsung were developed through extensive R&D to provide the most suitable solution for the challenges which currently affect communication within the emergency services. Fully optimised for the emergency environment, it will have a rugged design, be water resistant and both hardware and software features that will support emergency services functionality and critical voice services.

The new network will replace the current Airwave system which is mainly limited to voice radio. ESN will provide mobile broadband data services based on LTE, allowing a huge range of additional capabilities for frontline staff such as live-streaming video, crime applications and location services. As Airwave is phased out in stages over the next few years, the Home Office and Cabinet Office expect substantial savings to the taxpayer.

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) will deliver the new network and devices.

Suk-Jea Hahn, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Global Mobile B2B Team: “We are excited to be part of the UK ESN project and awarded the contract to supply LTE smartphones and accessories for ESN in the UK. 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 UK emergency services organisations to bring our technology to the entire public safety community on the front line, supporting the great work they do every day.”