Emergency Communications Claim

About The Claim

Radio communications network services used by emergency services staff are essential to protect the safety of the general public in Great Britain.

Airwave operates a bespoke, integrated network which is used to supply emergency radio communication services for organisations involved in public safety in Great Britain, including fire, police and ambulance services, as well as other organisations such as local authorities, charities and some private companies. Motorola's Airwave Network is the sole provider of these services in the market - no other alternative exists.

The claim, being brought as a collective proceedings action against the Motorola group, alleges that Airwave abused its dominant position in the market for the supply of radio communications network services for public safety and ancillary services in Great Britain, by charging purchasers (or contributors to the purchase) of Airwave Services excessive and unfair prices between 1 January 2020 and 31 July 2023. The claim seeks to compensate these entities for losses suffered as a result of Airwave's anti-competitive conduct during this period.

Airwave's anti-competitive conduct has already been the subject of a full market investigation by the UK's competition regulator (the Competition and Markets Authority – CMA), which concluded last year that Airwave was able to set and maintain prices substantially higher than the competitive level in the market, through its considerable market power which "locked in" customers in the absence of any alternative options. The CMA estimated that Airwave could therefore be expected to make excessive profits of approximately £1.27 billion between 2020 and 2029. That is equivalent to overcharging purchasers by almost £200 million per year.

Find out more about the claim here.

Claim Update

On 13 October 2025, the Competition Appeal Tribunal ("Tribunal") published its CPO judgment following a hearing on 12 September 2025. Clare Spottiswoode CBE has been certified to act as class representative and the claim has been certified on an opt-out basis. A summary of the CPO Judgment is available here.

As the Tribunal's judgment acknowledges, Ms Spottiswoode has a background of senior positions in the public sector (including serving as Director General at the Office of Gas Supply from 1993 to 1998), and considerable experience of contentious litigation. Her claim seeks damages of approx. £600 - 650m from Motorola – the monopoly provider of the UK's emergency services network ('Airwave Services') – on behalf of organisations such as the Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue services, as well as charities such as the RNLI and RSPCA. Motorola had previously been subject to a CMA investigation, which found that Motorola was able to set and maintain prices substantially above the competitive level from 2020. This led to a price cap being imposed by the CMA for the provision of Airwave Services, which only applied from 1 August 2023 onwards. The claim that was certified today seeks to recover the excessive fees that Motorola charged in the period from 1 January 2020 to the date the price cap kicked in.

The claim is funded not by a commercial litigation funder but by the Home Office, which is not seeking a commercial return. Ms. Spottiswoode is confident that she will be successful in getting money back to those organisations – which are overwhelmingly public bodies and charities – who have been allegedly overcharged by Motorola.

Clare Spottiswoode said: "I am delighted to have been certified by the Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent those organisations which have been impacted by Motorola's conduct. This is a significant step forward, and I am privileged to represent such a diverse class, ranging from the emergency services to charities and local authorities across the UK."

Who is Bringing the Claim

Clare Spottiswoode CBE is the Proposed Class Representative who will bring the claim on behalf of all purchasers of Airwave services who financially contributed to these services (whether or not for themselves) during the period 1 January 2020 to 31 July 2023. Find out whether you might be in the class here

Ms Spottiswoode is the former head of Britain's gas regulator, where she led the introduction of competition in the market (receiving a CBE in recognition for her services to industry). A keen advocate of promoting choice and competition, Clare already has experience bringing a competition class action (in the energy sector).

Clare has instructed leading international law firm Ashurst LLP to act as her legal advisers for this claim. Ashurst has extensive experience in conducting large and high profile competition damages litigation, including collective proceedings.

Inflated prices charged for use of the Airwave Network

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About The Claim

Claim Update

Who is Bringing the Claim

Are you fed up of being overcharged?

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