O2 Airwave Selects Telent

LONDON -- telent (LSE: TLNT) has been selected by O2 Airwave to support the deployment of its Airwave Communications System as part of the National Firelink Programme. The ten-year, £13 million contract will serve to enable Fire and Rescue Services in the UK to use the new Tetra Radio Communications Service provided by O2 Airwave. As part of this process, telent will install equipment in all fire appliances throughout the UK and then provide a complete support service, once they are in operational duty. This will ensure O2 Airwave delivers the most robust and reliable of communication networks.

The Firelink Programme - provided by O2 Airwave, a dedicated communications service for emergency and other public safety services - represents a wholesale investment in radio communications within the emergency services sector. It will replace individual Fire and Rescue Services' radio systems with, for the first time, a national wide area radio system in England, Scotland and Wales.

telent will provide a range of services to O2 Airwave, to include: project management, design services, installation services, helpdesk, asset management, on-site maintenance and configuration management services. All services will be available 24 x 7 x 365.

“We have been working in partnership with O2 Airwave on this and I am very pleased our compelling proposition will now be realised,” commentedMark Plato, Chief Executive Officer, telent. “Together with O2 Airwave, we are delivering the best communications services in this most critical of areas, providing the service that our fire-fighters demand."

"telent has an excellent track record. In an environment where effective communications really can make a life changing difference, we need to be as sure as we can that the technologies we deploy are functional, robust and entirely reliable. telent understands these core requirements and we have complete confidence that together, we can deliver the 21st century communication infrastructure our fire services deserve," commentsDave Walker, Head of National Customer Programmes, O2 Airwave.

telent plc (London: TLNT)