Press release

O2 Airwave has today been awarded a £115 million contract to link the Airwave radio network used by the police and emergency services to the Tube’s new Connect digital radio system.  It is planned that Airwave will be operational on all Underground lines in 2008.

This will mean that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other UK police forces, including the City of London Police, will have Airwave radio coverage at all 125 below ground Underground stations.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: “The addition of the Airwave radio network to the new Connect digital radio system, currently being rolled out across the Tube network, is good news for London. It will bring added flexibility to the way that emergency services operate underground boosting the Metropolitan and City of London Police response to any incident on the Tube and providing extra reassurance to Londoners.”

"We’re delighted to have reached agreement with London Underground. We now look forward to implementing Airwave in the Underground as soon as we can. This work will extend emergency communications into London’s most important piece of transport infrastructure," commented Richard Bobbett, CEO of O2 Airwave.

British Transport Police, which has responsibility for policing on the Tube network, already has radios which work underground. The current, long-established working arrangements allow for the MPS and City of London Police to access the Tube network accompanied by a BTP officer who has a radio which works below ground.  If needed, the police officer can also be provided with a BTP radio.

While the negotiations between London Underground and the various suppliers were taking place, vital groundwork was undertaken to ensure an early and seamless integration of Airwave with the Connect radio network.

Significant progress has been made to roll out Connect on the Tube network. The network is now live on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London Lines. It will be rolled out across the remainder of the Tube network on a line-by-line basis throughout 2007.

Airwave will be rolled out across the Tube network on the same line-by-line basis, starting with the East London Line, where the service will go live in April 2007.

-ends-

Notes to Editors:

• TfL is investing £10bn to improve and expand London’s transport network, more than half of that in the Tube;
• The Connect Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project was let in November 1999 to replace a large number of time expired communications equipment and was originally due to be delivered in 2005;
• When the Tube transferred to TfL in Summer 2003, Connect was already late and LU under Tim O’Toole has put in a new management team and has succeeded in building the new radio network, which is currently being rolled out;
• Airwave is the new digital radio system for the police in England, Scotland and Wales and is managed by the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) under a PFI agreement with O2 Airwave;
• Plans were already in place to link Airwave and Connect prior to 7 July 2005 but the link-up will make London more secure and allow for more efficient operational practices; and
• The Connect PFI contract was awarded to CityLink Telecommunications Limited, a company created to undertake a 20-year Connect contract for London Underground. Its shareholders are Thales (33%), Fluor (18%), Motorola (10%), Laing Investment (19.5%) and HSBC (19.5%). The cost of the design, build and maintain contract is £2 billion over 20 years.

 
About O2 Airwave
The Airwave service is a sophisticated communications system for the emergency and other public safety ('blue light') services operated by O2 Airwave. It will help make Great Britain safer by facilitating more effective and efficient ways of working for the emergency services, and the opportunity for more 'joined up' public safety services.  O2 Airwave is part of the Telefónica O2 Europe group of companies.

Key Benefits

• O2 Airwave will enable emergency services to communicate seamlessly regardless of location for the first time ever
• Because all communications over the Airwave service are encrypted, they cannot be scanned or monitored by outsiders. The network is highly resilient
• The system enables both voice and data communications and gives the emergency services wide flexibility in choosing how to communicate.
   

The Airwave service has the capability to provide true interoperability between all the agencies involved in public protection by enabling everyone to work together at the scene of major and minor incidents alike, as well as co-operate in forward planning to meet new obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act.
 
The Airwave service is available to organisations with a public safety role and already being used by the MOD, the Highways Agency, UK Immigration and several Local Authorities.

About Telefónica O2 Europe
Telefónica O2 Europe comprises mobile network operators in the UK,Ireland and Slovakia, along with integrated fixed/mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic - all of which use ‘O2’ as their consumer brand.  Telefónica O2 Europe also owns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100% ownership of Be, a leading UK fixed broadband provider.  In addition, the group includes the Isle of Man fixed/mobile operator, Manx Telecom, and O2 Airwave, which supplies secure digital communications to the emergency services and other public safety organisations.
 
Telefónica O2 Europe, part of the Telefónica group, is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has more than 37 million mobile and fixed customers.
 
About Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation.  Its activities are centred mainly on fixed and mobile telephony, with broadband as the key tool for the development of both.
 
The company has a significant presence in 23 countries and a customer base of 196 million worldwide.
 
Telefónica is a 100% listed company, with in excess of 1.5 million direct shareholders.  Its share capital currently comprises 4,921,130,397 ordinary shares traded on the Spanish Stock Market (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia) and on those in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, New York, Lima, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
 
O2 Contacts:

David Nicholas Director of Communications 
Telefonica O2 Europe plc
David.nicholas@o2.com 
t: +44 (0) 771 575 9176 

Simon Gordon
Head of Media Relations
Telefonica O2 Europe plc
Simon.gordon@o2.com 
t: +44 (0) 7710 070 698

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