O2 pulls out of €100m police radio network bidding

O2 has pulled out of the bidding to build a €100m secure digital radio network for the Irish emergency services.

O2 had been tipped to pitch its Airwave service against four other consortia led by Arqiva, BT, Eircom and Rivada Networks for the lucrative National Digital Radio Service (NDRS) contract to replace ageing analogue radio systems for the Garda police and Irish fire and ambulance services.

But a spokeswoman for O2 Airwave told silicon.com the company will not now be entering a bid for the 10-year deal under the current terms and conditions.

She said: "After much deliberation, O2 Airwave has decided that the NDRS contract for the Republic of Ireland does not, in its current form, represent an acceptable balance of risk and reward."

She added that Airwave will continue to look at other opportunities working with colleagues from O2 and its new Spanish owner Telefonica.

O2's Airwave digital radio network is already used by police in England and the company recently won £740m-worth of contracts to extend it across the ambulance and fire services.

The RSPCA has also just signed a 10-year deal for its inspection and animal collection officers to use the Airwave network.