Emergency Services Mobile
Communications Programme
Update for 3 SDO Workshop
26th August 2014
OFFICIAL
1
Programme update
Milestone
Date
Outline Business Case approval
April 2014
OJEU and PQQ issued
April 2014
ITT issued
Summer 2014
Tender return
Autumn 2014
Tender evaluation, negotiation
and post BAFO evaluation
Winter 2015 to
Spring 2015
Full Business Case approval
Summer 2015
Contract award
Summer 2015
Mobilisation
Summer 2015 to
Late 2016
Transition starts
Early 2017
2
Programme objectives
• Meeting Requirements - Better
– Voice and data services with appropriate
levels of security and availability
• Improved Flexibility - Smarter
– Users are able to select and pay for only
those features that are required to deliver
their services effectively
• More Affordable - Cheaper
– Based on publicly available commercial
mobile communications network
– Contracts that can be re-competed more
regularly to exploit market forces and take
advantage of technological evolution
3
Why is ESMCP taking a standards based approach?
• To gain access to the widest possible market for equipment,
particularly devices
• To allow innovation and access to rapidly evolving COTS
technologies
• To ensure that the Emergency Services can evolve their
working practices in line with consumers and other sectors
• To reduce costs and allow regular re-competition of the
service
4
Why are we going to market before the standards are
ready?
• The contracts for the existing TETRA service start to expire
from Q4 2016 and transition is expected to take around 2.5
years
• Contract extensions would cost many millions of pounds and
extensions beyond 2020 would breach EU procurement law
• Users need more up to date mobile communications and are
already using mobile broadband services, but without the
required coverage and availability
5
What do we need from the standards?
• Global standards to ensure the widest market and
equipment ecosystem
• Timely delivery and early visibility of the direction of the
standards so suppliers can start developing kit
• Robust standardisation process to ensure multi-vendor
interoperability between all solution elements
• Standards that maximise the benefits from the underlying
technology
6
How can industry and standards bodies help us
achieve our objectives?
• Rapidly agree where and how MCPTT and other public
safety features will be standardised
• Ensure that solutions build on existing standards and work
already in progress where appropriate
• Ensure widespread industry buy-in for the approach and
maximise industry participation, not just traditional public
safety suppliers
• Ensure that public safety stays in the mainstream and
doesn’t become isolated from developments in the
consumer markets
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How can industry and standards bodies help us
achieve our objectives? (continued)
• Ensure that the standards bodies are open to full
participation by representatives of public safety users
• Manage IPR issues effectively
• Where possible optimise factors such as:
– Participation costs
– Travelling times
– SDO memberships required, etc
8