EE – part of BT Group – has installed and activated the Emergency Services Network (ESN) in Glasgow’s Subway stations, connecting all 15 Subway stations. This 4G connection will be important when first responders reach the stage of transitioning to ESN.
Police, Fire and Rescue and Ambulance services will be able to, when they connect to the ESN network, transmit fast, safe and secure voice, video and data via the network, across all of SPT’s 15 Subway stations.
In addition to the stations, the ESN is also being installed in the Subway tunnels to further boost critical communications along the entire route, with these being activated in the coming months.
Coinciding with these major works, EE is also enhancing the ESN delivery with commercial 4G services, ensuring that millions of people in Glasgow can experience the benefits of being connected to 4G on their daily commutes.
The 4G coverage will allow commuters, visitors and other Subway users on EE’s mobile network to call, text and access data, allowing access to social media and apps across the city’s Subway stations. The work has been completed in time for COP26 which starts on 31st October, when thousands of people are expected to use the Subway to move between venues during the global event.
The ESN network will remain protected from the public 4G network, and communication between the emergency services will take priority over all other network traffic - even at peak times – so that the speed of first responders receiving important data is not impacted.
As well as expanding 4G into the Glasgow Subway stations, EE has also extended coverage across Scotland, especially in rural areas.
Richard Harrap, Managing Director, ESN, BT’s Enterprise unit
Delivering the ESN to Glasgow’s Subway stations will see a huge benefit to our emergency service responders, enabling them to transmit reliable and consistent digital communications across the 4G network and give first responders immediate access to life-saving information in live situations and emergencies.
