Cogent Answers Emergency Services Call For Open Competition

UK Emergency Services underline need for multiple Digital PMR networks

UK Emergency Services underline need for multiple Digital PMR networks

18th December, London -- Following the findings of a recent report from analyst house BWCS, Cogent Defence and Security Networks has signalled its desire to participate in a open competition for the provision of national digital radio network for the UKs fire & ambulance services.

Cogent welcomed the ministerial decision earlier this year to allow the Wide Area Radio Replacement procurements for the Ambulance and Fire Services. This decision was based on the condition that any new national network would be able to inter-operate with the Police's Airwave network at incident and command levels.

Len Tyler, Managing Director, Cogent-DSN, explains, Competition rather than monopoly is clearly the best proposition, both for the British taxpayer and the individual emergency services. Without competition in this area, there is little incentive to provide innovative or cost-effective services. However competition to supply and manage a radio network service is entirely dependent on useable spectrum. Cogent has expressed its concerns to Ministers about the lack of certainty on this front and is eager to be briefed on a satisfactory solution."

The BWCS report into the UK emergency services infrastructure investigated the likely impacts of a large-scale emergency on current and future communications networks. In creating the report BWCS interviewed senior IT and communications managers from 20 fire, police and ambulance services.

Tyler commented, The BWCS Report highlights a number of significant areas of interest for us, the key finding of the report suggested that the UKs emergency services would benefit greatly from complimentary digital networks. The report also suggests that, based on the desires and requirements of the respondents, the government must ensure a policy of open competition in the tender process."

The report details a number of issues with the current police network, including very poor data communications capability and indicated that they would be forced to use cellular and public networks to overcome this problem. Moreover issues of coverage, redundancy and capacity were highlighted in the report as the three main problems with the existing systems. The report also underlines significant security and redundancy concerns if the UKs emergency services were to rely on a singular network.

Tyler continued, This report validates our technology vision and for the first time gives us some real insight into the needs and demands of the UKs emergency services. TETRAPOL has 1 million subscribers world-wide, rising to 4 million on completion of contacted networks, and has been proven to excel in security, capacity and redundancy -- the exact areas of concern, as detailed in this report.

Cogent looks forward to the procurement process for both the Fire and Ambulance networks and we reiterate the reports call for an open competition in this process. Weve long been confident that TETRAPOL would be the more suitable digital PMR technology for the UKs emergency services -- this report certainly appears to validate that argument."
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About Cogent DSN
Cogent Defence and Security Networks Limited, is the UK business unit of EADS Telecom and the focal point of telecommunications for EADS in UK.
Web-site: www.cogent-dsn.com

About EADS Telecom
EADS Telecom is the global Centre of Excellence for telecommunications of the EADS Group, the leading Aeronautics, Space and Defence Company in Europe and second worldwide.

EADS Telecom is a supplier of turnkey telecommunications networks based on civil technologies for the Security, Defence and civil markets with a complete range of solutions "Connexity", whose common denominator is security.

With a local presence in 11 countries, EADS TELECOM has 3500 employees in Europe, the United States and Mexico, with pro forma revenues of EUR 860 million worldwide in 2001.
Web-site: www.eads-telecom.net

For further information please contact:
Jeremy Wrench or Clare Bragg
Companycare Communications
T: 0118 939 5900
E: jeremy@companycare.com
Clare@companycare.com

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