Transport for London (TfL) has signed a £23.5 million deal with Capita for elements of the infrastructure that will underpin the Emergency Services Network (ESN) on the London Underground.
The scope of the 12-month contract includes the design, installation and testing of network cables in tunnels, and the installation and testing of local area network infrastructure in stations and on platforms. These are aimed at supporting connectivity to the ESN.
The infrastructure will be used by mobile network provider EE to support emergency services on the Underground.
Shashi Verma, chief technology officer at TfL, said: “This contract delivers key elements of the infrastructure required to bring the new Emergency Services Network to the London Underground network.
“With close to the of the Tube located underground, it’s vital that this system will help support the police, firm and ambulance services if they are required to help our customers.”
The ESN is being set up to replace the existing Airwave network across the UK. It will provide mobile connectivity, including for 4G, to enable emergency services teams to communicate.
Capita added that it has been working with TfL on a pilot project to deliver 4G services on the Underground since March of this year.
Image from TfL
