United Kingdom / Press Release Austria, 3rd February 2022

Network Approval Testing Service successfully certifies ESN Gateway

As part of the transition from the TETRA based emergency services radio network, Airwave, in Great Britain, to the new wireless broadband LTE Emergency Services Network (ESN), Frequentis must provide all of its customers with an ESN Gateway for mission critical services - MCX. This will ensure that control room operators have access to a fully approved and easy to use interface into ESN when Airwave is discontinued and during the transition. The certification of the Gateway is being supported by Frequentis partner Nemergent.

Frequentis is working directly with the UK Home Office on the transition to ESN and the development of the gateway, which will connect the Frequentis multimedia communications platform 3020 LifeX to the new ESN. LifeX is already in use for a number of emergency services operators in the UK and it is critical they are able to interface with the new communications network.

“Adapting LifeX to ensure compatibility with ESN will guarantee first responders have immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline, further supporting them in their challenging role,” says Andy Madge, Managing Director Frequentis UK. “ESN will transmit fast, safe and secure voice, video and data across the 4G network. Working directly with the UK Home Office on this transition plan and delivery has been key to the smooth running of the project and this successful certification.”

LifeX has been designed to allow emergency services operators to maximise the benefits of multimedia communications, and when next generation 999 (NG999) becomes a standard it will also allow members of the public to share images and videos of incidents that can be analysed in real-time.

Previous testing in 2020 included group call, private call (in/out), ambient listening, status messages, emergency calls, text messages and broadcast. With Network Approval Testing Service certification for the ESN Beta feature set having now been completed at the end of December 2021, the next stage will be to install and test the gateway within the Ambulance Radio Programme (ARP) – a Frequentis reference customer, working closely with the Home Office.

Additional functionality to support interworking between existing Airwave and ESN, allowing both networks to be used in parallel, will provide Frequentis customers a smooth transition to the ESN network.

About FREQUENTIS

Frequentis, headquartered in Vienna, is a global supplier of communication and information systems for control centres with safety-critical tasks. Such 'control centre solutions' are developed and marketed by Frequentis in the business sectors Air Traffic Management (civil and military air traffic control, air defence) and Public Safety & Transport (police, fire brigade, ambulance services, shipping, railways). As a global player, Frequentis operates a worldwide network of branches, subsidiaries, and local representatives in more than 50 countries. Products and solutions from Frequentis can be found in over 40,000 operator working positions and in more than 150 countries.

Founded in 1947, Frequentis considers itself to be the global market leader in voice communication systems for air traffic control with a market share of around 30%. In addition, the Frequentis Group's AIM (aeronautical information management) and AMHS (aeronautical message handling) systems, as well as GSM-R dispatcher working positions for Public Transport are industry leading solutions.

The shares of Frequentis AG are traded on the Vienna and Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FQT (ISIN: ATFREQUENT09). In 2020, the Frequentis Group generated revenues of EUR 299.4 million and EBIT of EUR 26.8 million. Following the transaction with L3Harris, the number of employees is around 2,100. For more information, please visit www.frequentis.com.

Jennifer McLellan, Media Relations Manager, Frequentis AG, jennifer.mclellan@frequentis.com, +44 2030 050 188