Samsung wins mega £210m public sector contract

South Korean vendor reportedly beat off competition from Motorola and British firm Sepura

Samsung has won a £210m public sector contract to provide smartphones and accessories to the emergency services.

The Samsung smartphones have been designed for the project and will replace the current system which runs predominantly on voice radio.

The new deal is designed to give emergency services workers access to the internet while out in the field, and is part of the Home Office's plan to overhaul the current system and launch the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), which has reportedly faced delays.

In a statement the Home Office said: "Using a single ESN 4G device is more effective, efficient and less costly than using a combination of the existing Airwave devices and multiple commercial networks and standard 4G devices."

Samsung said the devices have been tailored for the emergency services workforce, with a "rugged" and waterproof design.

Suk-Jea Hahn, executive vice president of Samsung's B2B mobile team, said: "Next-generation public safety communications is an important area of focus for Samsung, and we are now looking forward to working in partnership with ESN and UK emergency services organisations to bring our technology to the entire public safety community on the frontline, supporting the great work they do every day."