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What BT and EE actually won
The award covers the mobile-network infrastructure and related services needed for ESN, the Home Office programme intended to replace Airwave for Great Britain’s police, fire and ambulance services and other authorised public-safety users. The legal award was made jointly to EE Ltd and BT Plc under a tripartite agreement with the Home Office, rather than to the EE consumer brand alone. See the Home Office award notice.
BT Group’s announcement describes a seven-year contract worth £1.29 billion. The public procurement record gives a different headline figure: a maximum value of £1.85 billion, with a term of 7.25 years and a possible one-year extension. Those figures should not be treated as a confirmed contradiction or combined into one estimate: they are reported by different documents and may use different valuation bases, options or service commitments.
| Document | Reported figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| BT Group announcement | £1.29 billion over seven years | BT’s announced contract value |
| Contracts Finder award notice | £1.85 billion maximum | Maximum procurement value; 7.25-year term plus possible one-year extension |
The contract also includes termination-assistance provisions, which are intended to support an orderly handover if the arrangement ends.
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- Diversified functions : FCC ID: 2AX68PX-888S, 16 preset channels can be selected by rotating the knob on the 2 Way Radios to select any channel within the frequency range; you can program 50 CTCSS audio and 105 CDCSS audio on each programmed channel, The Two-Way Radios has the functions of VOX voice control, scanning, low battery alarm and night flashlight,etc;package contains (walkie talkie, battery pack, Charger, belt clip, hand strap, Earpieces) X 2 and user manual.
- Long-Range communication : Walkie Talkies offer the greatest range in open, unobstructed areas, such as rural areas, suburbs, and the seaside. In towns and cities, range may be limited by obstacles. Actual range depends on the current obstruction level.
- Durable battery :Under normal circumstances,walkie talkie can be used for 8-96 hours with a full charge, and up to 8-12 hours with continuous use. The actual time depends on the frequency of use;3-4 hours to fully charge a battery with 0 capacity,long battery life.
- suitable for multiple scenes :Hard and durable shell, drop-proof, Rainproof, this Handheld two way radio transmitters are suitable for hotel management, villas, restaurant kitchens,outings,Outdoor mountain climbing, construction sites, factory warehouses, car driving, cruise ships, school,churches, retail stores and supermarkets, security personnel, construction personnel, safety maintenance personnel.
What the Mobile Services contract includes
ESN is more than ordinary consumer 4G. The BT/EE award covers a dedicated service architecture and specialist coverage needed for mission-critical communications, including:
- continued development, operation and maintenance of ESN on EE’s 4G radio-access network;
- a dedicated ESN core network;
- priority access and pre-emption so authorised emergency users can receive service during congestion;
- additional coverage in rural, operational and difficult-to-reach locations;
- coverage and management for the Air-to-Ground network, Extended Area Services sites, the London Underground and specified road and rail tunnels;
- network integration, power resilience, urgent fault repair and related maintenance; and
- support for an intended service scale of more than 300,000 users.
The latest government assessment says the programme is expanding coverage over approximately 17,275 kilometres of roads and expects improvements that can help 999 calls from 4G-enabled phones in some remote and rural areas. Geographic coverage, however, is not the same as full mission-critical readiness: indoor penetration, underground performance, resilience, voice functionality, devices, control-room systems and trained users all have to work together.
ESN has two principal replacement contracts
BT and EE hold only the mobile-network side of the programme. The Home Office awarded IBM a separate User Services contract in January 2025. That role covers the user-facing service, service integration and wider operational arrangements needed to turn network capability into a complete emergency-communications service. The distinction matters because saying simply that “BT won the ESN contract” implies a single supplier and overstates what this award delivers.
| ESN element | Supplier or authority | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Services | EE Ltd and BT Plc | Network, dedicated core, priority and pre-emption, specialist coverage and maintenance |
| User Services | IBM | User-facing service and service-integration functions |
| Programme authority | Home Office ESMCP | Overall programme governance, assurance and transition |
| Legacy communications during transition | Airwave and existing arrangements | Continued service until ESN is proven and migration is complete |
IBM’s appointment is described by the Home Office here, with the procurement award published here.
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- Diversified functions : FCC ID: 2AX68PX-888S, 16 preset channels can be selected by rotating the knob on the 2 Way Radios to select any channel within the frequency range; walkie-talkie has 165 privacy codes to protect your privacy, The Two-Way Radios has the functions of VOX voice control, scanning, low battery alarm and night flashlight, etc
- Long-Range communication: Walkie Talkies offer the greatest range in open, unobstructed areas, such as rural areas, suburbs, and the seaside. In towns and cities, range may be limited by obstacles. Actual range depends on the current obstruction level.
- Durable battery: Under normal circumstances,walkie talkie can be used for 8-96 hours with a full charge, and up to 8-12 hours with continuous use. The actual time depends on the frequency of use;3-4 hours to fully charge a battery with 0 capacity, long battery life.
- Lightweight and compact, suitable for multiple scenes: Small size and light weight, Hard and durable shell, drop-proof, Rainproof, this Handheld two way radio transmitters are suitable for hotel management, villas, restaurant kitchens, outings, Outdoor mountain climbing, construction sites, factory warehouses, car driving, cruise ships, school, churches, retail stores and supermarkets, security personnel, construction personnel, safety maintenance personnel
- What you get : pxton walkie talkies provide interphone x 4, 1500 mAh lithium battery x 4, Charging station x 4, belt clip x 4, Earpieces x 4, hand strap x 4, and user manual x 2
Why the Home Office chose BT and EE
The Home Office’s published justification said competition was absent for technical reasons: it considered that no other mobile-network operator or third party could deliver the required ESN 4G LTE service by the relevant Airwave-replacement timetable. The explanation relied on continuity, existing infrastructure and the difficulty of transferring a live, safety-critical service to another operator within the schedule. Read the technical-reasons and direct-award notice.
EE was already the incumbent ESN mobile-network supplier under the original 2015 arrangement. BT and EE are both part of BT Group, so this was not a contest between two unrelated network operators. The award was structured as a joint contract with EE supplying core mobile-network capability and BT taking broader group, contractual and specialist responsibilities.
A direct award provides continuity and avoids a near-term network transfer, but it also reduces immediate supplier competition. The government later said the contract terms were designed to support competitive pricing and that preparations for the next Mobile Services and User Services competitions are expected to begin in 2027. That is a future procurement objective, not evidence that the current award was won through an open, multi-operator tender.
Where the programme stands in 2026
The award dates from November/December 2024. In August 2026, ESN remains in delivery, testing and rollout rather than being a fully operational nationwide replacement for Airwave.
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- Compared to walkie-talkies with sharp and long antennas; the RT22 has a thumb-length antenna and a blunted antenna angle; which improves the safety of family members during use
- Compact and lightweight walkie-talkie; you can slip it into your pocket or clip it to your belt
- USB-C charging port; allows you to charge it at any time; lasts about 10 hours
- Separate clip design; when you wear the walkie-talkie around your waist; you only need to take out the walkie-talkie without removing the clip when talking
- Built-in 300 mW speaker; squelch function; enhances clear and loud audio
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| December 2015 | EE entered the original ESN mobile-network agreement. |
| 2018 | The programme was reset after delays. |
| 2021 | The planned Airwave shutdown moved from December 2022 to December 2026. |
| December 2022 | Motorola’s ESN User Services contract ended by mutual agreement. |
| 31 July 2024 | The Home Office published the VEAT notice for the proposed EE/BT mobile-services award. |
| Late 2024 | The new Mobile Services contract was awarded to EE and BT. |
| 15 January 2025 | IBM was announced as User Services supplier. |
| July 2025 | The plan was baselined around March 2028 Full Voice Service Ready. |
| March 2028 | Current target for Full Voice Service Ready, enabling transition to begin subject to assurance and operational readiness. |
| December 2029 | Current target for Airwave shutdown and completion of the transition. |
The March 2026 government assessment sets out the current timetable and status: Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme memorandum. A Treasury progress report is available here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why replacing Airwave is technically significant
Airwave uses dedicated TETRA radio technology. ESN is intended to combine mission-critical voice and push-to-talk with video and data on a 4G-based platform. That could give responders faster access to live images, records and other operational information, improve interoperability and support modern applications.
The trade-off is that commercial mobile infrastructure must be engineered to public-safety standards. Priority and pre-emption, resilient power, dedicated core systems, specialist sites and assured control-room integration are essential during congestion, outages or major incidents. A 4G coverage map alone cannot prove equivalent hand-portable, indoor, underground or incident-site performance.
The government presents ESN as a route to better long-term capability and value than retaining Airwave, including wider data functions and potentially lower running costs. Those are policy and value-for-money assessments, not savings independently demonstrated by the contract award itself.
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- THREE UNITS FOR LARGER GROUPS — A trio keeps three-person crews, families, and trail teams talking at once, so no one waits for a handset to free up on a busy outing
- REACHES ACROSS OPEN COUNTRY — 50 channels and 142 privacy codes push clear audio over ridgelines, campgrounds, and back roads where a phone signal thins out
- THREE CHARGED AND WAITING — Every unit ships with a rechargeable pack and charger, powered the night before so the whole group grabs and goes at first light
- STORM-AWARE NOAA MONITORING — Automatic scanning warns your party as dangerous weather rolls in, a smart safeguard for campsites, hunts, and mountain days
- LOADED FOR THE WHOLE PARTY — An SOS siren, keypad lock, vibrate mode, and silent operation give each carrier real capability, with AA dual-power backup off the grid
Risks that still determine whether ESN succeeds
- voice service may not reach the March 2028 readiness milestone;
- coverage or penetration gaps may remain in rural, indoor, underground or transport environments;
- priority and pre-emption could fail under exceptional congestion or a major incident;
- devices, training and control-room integration may lag behind network construction;
- BT/EE, IBM, the Home Office and emergency-service organisations may face difficult programme interfaces;
- legacy Airwave and ESN equipment may not interoperate smoothly; and
- another delay would extend Airwave costs and postpone the expected benefits.
The transition plan includes continued Airwave operation, phased migration and interworking gateways rather than a single overnight national cutover. The gateway procurement is documented here.
What this means for ordinary BT or EE customers
This is a government infrastructure contract, not a consumer mobile tariff. Ordinary BT, EE or other 4G customers do not receive ESN mission-critical priority, pre-emption, dedicated service integration or authorised emergency-services access. Network improvements funded through the programme may support wider 999 connectivity in some places, but ESN functionality is restricted to approved public-safety users.
What happens next
- BT and EE continue network expansion, specialist-site work, resilience measures and service testing.
- IBM and the Home Office integrate user services, devices, control rooms and operational processes.
- Emergency organisations complete assurance, training and readiness checks.
- Migration can begin when the programme reaches its planned March 2028 Full Voice Service Ready milestone and individual organisations are ready.
- Airwave remains available during the phased transition, with December 2029 the current shutdown target.
- Preparations for future Mobile Services and User Services competitions are expected to start in 2027.
The key accountability question is therefore no longer whether BT and EE received the award. They did. It is whether the combined network, user-service and operational ecosystem can be proven safe, resilient and usable before Airwave is finally retired.
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