Airwave

What Airwave does

Airwave Solutions Limited is the operator of the Airwave Network, the mission-critical voice and data communications infrastructure for Great Britain's emergency services and over 300 public safety organisations. The company is headquartered at Nova South, 160 Victoria Street, London, with a registered office in Slough, and is privately held as a UK-registered limited company (No. 03985643) operating the Motorola Solutions-licensed brand under trademark agreement. The Airwave Network is formally classified as part of the nation's Critical National Infrastructure.

The network is built on TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) technology — a mature, purpose-built narrowband standard for public safety voice — and covers 99% of Great Britain's landmass. Airwave supports all 43 police forces, all 49 fire and rescue services, and all ambulance service trusts across England, Scotland, and Wales, providing a fully-managed service from control room to front-line responder. Performance metrics disclosed include 99.5% daily availability maintained for 3,652 consecutive days, 3.4 billion voice connections facilitated over the decade to 2026, an average of approximately 931,000 calls per day, and 741,000 emergency button activations. Beyond core blue-light services, the company extends support to public safety agencies via dedicated business relationship managers and the TOPS (Terminal and Other Peripheral Suppliers) Forum for terminal and control room equipment vendors.

Airwave's revenue model is a managed services arrangement — long-term contracts with UK central government and emergency services buyers rather than transactional or per-call pricing. The company has no publicly disclosed pricing, no consumer-facing product, and no application layer; its GTM is exclusively enterprise field sales with direct relationships across all emergency service sectors. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no public listing, and revenue is not publicly reported.

Name

Airwave

Legal name

Airwave Solutions Limited

Website

https://airwavesolutions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Airwave Solutions operates the UK mission-critical TETRA communications network serving all police forces, fire and rescue services, and ambulance trusts across Great Britain, plus 300+ public safety organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mission-Critical Public Safety Communications

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Satellite Telecommunications (517410)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Communications & Dispatch (911/112/999, PSAP) (BPAIAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Dispatch, Call Center Monitoring & Response Services (HSAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Mission-critical communications
• Public safety networks
• TETRA radio network
• Emergency services communications
• Critical national infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Slough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Managed Communications Services: Fully-managed mission-critical communications service provided to emergency services and public safety organisations. Contracts with government agencies including police forces, fire and rescue services, and ambulance trusts across Great Britain.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Airwave operates a TETRA-based mission-critical communications network providing secure, resilient voice and data communications to Great Britain's emergency services. The fully-managed service supports 43 police forces, 49 fire and rescue services, and all ambulance service trusts across England, Scotland, and Wales, with coverage spanning 99% of the landmass.

Product overview

Airwave provides a unified mission-critical communications platform consisting of the Airwave Network, which serves as the Emergency Services Network for Great Britain. The platform delivers secure, resilient voice and data communications to all emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) and over 300 public safety organizations across 99% of Great Britain's landmass. Key capabilities include mission-critical voice communications, 99.5%+ availability, interoperability between services, and extensive coverage. The TOPS Forum provides supplementary support for equipment suppliers operating on the network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOPS: Terminal and Other Peripheral Suppliers Forum - a support service for suppliers of radio terminal, data applications and control room equipment serving public safety organisations operating on the Airwave network.

Products and services

• Airwave Network World-leading TETRA-based mission-critical communications network providing secure, resilient voice and data communications for emergency services and public safety organizations across Great Britain, covering 99% of the landmass and forming part of the nation's Critical National Infrastructure.
• Emergency Services Network Service Dedicated managed communications service covering police, fire, ambulance, and over 300 public safety organizations, including dedicated business relationship managers and full-service delivery from control room to front line.
• TOPS Forum Terminal and Other Peripheral Suppliers Forum - a community support service for suppliers of radio terminal, data applications, and control room equipment serving public safety organisations operating on the Airwave network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.5% availability maintained every day for 10 consecutive years (2016-2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Motorola SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 25 March 2026Motorola Solutions serves as the foundation of Airwave's UK public safety communications network, marking a decade of excellence in 2026. Motorola Solutions provides the technological infrastructure underlying the Airwave mission-critical communications service.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Thales: French-headquartered global technology company with significant mission-critical communications, secure communications, and PPDR solutions for defense and public safety customers. Comparable as a large incumbent offering competing mission-critical communications infrastructure and services to government agencies.
• AT&T (FirstNet): FirstNet, built by AT&T, is the dedicated public safety broadband network in the United States—the closest international analogue to the Airwave Network. Directly comparable in business model as a dedicated, government-anchored mission-critical communications network for first responders, though delivered via LTE rather than TETRA.
• Rohde & Schwarz: German-headquartered provider of secure mission-critical communications (SOFIM/SOFITAS family) for military, public safety, and homeland security users. Comparable as a vendor of mission-critical voice and data communications infrastructure for PPDR customers in multiple markets.
• Bittium: Finnish provider of secure mission-critical communications, including TETRA and hybrid LTE-based PPDR solutions for public safety and defense customers. Comparable as a mission-critical communications vendor operating in the same PPDR category with similar customer profiles.
• Hytera Communications: Chinese-headquartered global provider of TETRA and other professional mobile radio (PMR) solutions for public safety, transportation, and utilities. Directly comparable as a competing TETRA infrastructure and terminal vendor serving PPDR customers in many of the same international markets.
• Sepura: UK-headquartered TETRA terminal and infrastructure provider (now part of the Hytera group) specializing in mission-critical communications for public safety users. Directly comparable as a TETRA-focused peer serving police, fire, and ambulance organizations with push-to-talk devices that operate on networks like Airwave.
• JVCKENWOOD: Japanese-headquartered provider of professional radio and mission-critical communications equipment for public safety agencies worldwide. Comparable as a TETRA/P25 radio infrastructure and terminal vendor serving similar first-responder customer bases.
• Leonardo: Italian-headquartered global aerospace, defense, and security company with a mission-critical communications portfolio including PPDR networks, command and control, and tactical communications. Comparable as a large defense/security prime offering competing mission-critical communications solutions to public safety and government customers.

Emerging players

• Etherstack: Specialist provider of mission-critical communications software for PPDR, military, and utility networks, focused on push-to-talk over LTE/5G and interoperability. Comparable as an emerging player in the same PPDR communications category, particularly in the transition from TETRA to broadband architectures.

Broad incumbents

• Motorola Solutions: Airwave's parent company and the global leader in mission-critical communications for public safety. Directly comparable as the dominant incumbent in PPDR/LMR networks, command center software, and body-worn/video solutions worldwide, with overlapping technology and customer set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airwave

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airwave