Obsolescence was, and will remain, a constant concern

1.13 Radio communications is a fast-moving area in which current systems can quickly become obsolete. Careful thought must be given to whether the technology will still be usable by the end of the contract, whether it will be compatible with other relevant technology and whether there are provisions for upgrading the system should obsolescence become a problem.

1.14 In late 1998, the Home Office asked PITO to engage an independent expert in the radio communications field to review the project. An appropriately qualified academic was appointed to carry out a strategic validation review. This work involved assessing the police requirements and whether O2's proposed strategy for delivering the service was technically reasonable in the light of the then current and foreseen technological environment. The review concluded that the user requirements were reasonable and well enough scoped to permit the exploitation of future radio communication capabilities and opportunities. The review could identify no potentially relevant mobile-phone or dedicated mobile communications system, available at the time or in the near future, that could provide an operationally acceptable service as cost effective as Airwave.

2 Radio coverage and capacity of the Core and Menu Exclusive Services

KEY

CAPACITY

A police force joining Airwave will receive a grade of service across its geographical area based on a greater than 87 per cent probability that an officer wanting access to Airwave would receive a channel without having to queue. This is linked to the capacity within the network. O2 will provide capacity at each base station to ensure that the grade of service is met when voice and data traffic levels sum up to:

The 95th percentile of the highest level of busy hour traffic (voice and data) measured at the base station over the previous 12 month interval;

Extra capacity purchased by the force directly from O2 for high risk locations such as football stadia; and

Additional capacity provided by O2 to cater for local traffic surges and to assure members of national roaming organisations, such as the National Crime Squad, that the network can support their needs.

The overall tariff for capacity will be related to the number of traffic units consumed. Included in the unitary charge for the Core Service is an allowance for a certain number of traffic units. If the force uses more units than covered by the allowance, it will pay for these as a Menu Exclusive Service.

COVERAGE

Core Service		Menu Exclusive Services
	The police force will receive the Core Service across its geographical area. For the agreed unitary charge, O2 will guarantee the geographical coverage of the Core Service to service levels specified in the contract regardless of the number of base stations required to meet this obligation. The guaranteed coverage will provide police officers using vehicle-mounted radios with voice and data communications across the force's geographical area.		The guaranteed handheld coverage provided under the Core Service will meet only some of the force's need for this service, which will be determined by the force's need to operate foot patrols. To meet its requirements for guaranteed handheld coverage, the force will purchase this additional coverage directly from O2.

	Some guaranteed coverage to handheld radios will be available. The force will have some say about the distribution of this guaranteed service over its geographical area.		Where the police force requires its officers to operate inside buildings on a regular basis e.g. shopping malls, the force can purchase guaranteed in-building penetration of Airwave from O2.

	Police officers will be able to receive and transmit non-voice data. The speed of data transmission will limit this facility, in practice, to small sized parcels of data.

1.15 PITO made efforts from the start to ensure that upgrading was enshrined in the contract. Because TETRA is an emerging technology, the need for upgrades, particularly at the beginning of the service, was readily apparent and was provided for in the contract. To derive most of the expected benefits, Airwave would also have to be compatible with changing police computer systems and databases.