<p>The Emergency Services Network will replace the Airwave communications service currently used by Britain’s emergency services and transform the way they operate.</p><p>The July 2021 Full Business Case (FBC) estimated the cost of the programme to deliver ESN at £1.6bn, compared with the original estimate of £1.2bn. When combined with the Airwave and Legacy contracts, and the ongoing costs of the replacement ESN service, the total cost of providing critical emergency services communications between 2015/16 and 2036/37 in the July 2021 FBC was estimated at £11.3bn. This assumed Airwave and legacy system costs of approximately £450m annually compared with ESN at around £250m per annum. This estimated a target Airwave Shutdown Date of December 2026. The original estimated completion date was 2019.</p><p>In April 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Motorola’s profits on Airwave and as a result Motorola left the Programme in December 2022.</p><p>The CMA’s final report recommended Charge Controls on the Airwave service that if confirmed will save the taxpayer in the region of £200m a year for the period 2023 to 2029. This is pending the outcome of Motorola’s appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.</p><p>The Home Office is in the process of procuring a new supplier for mobile radio and data services and intends to release a revised Business Case in 2024, which will set out a new timetable and costs, taking into account the impact of procurement activity and proposed CMA Charge Control.</p><p>The Home Office is committed to delivering ESN as swiftly and safely as possible and Airwave will not be switched off until the conditions for full transition have been met.</p>