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.
The claim is against Airwave Solutions Limited (ASL), Motorola Solutions UK Limited (MSUK) and Motorola Solutions, Inc (MSI) (together "Motorola").
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.
Purchasers and/or entities that made a specific financial contribution for the use of Airwave Services from 1 January 2020, could benefit from a collective claim against certain Motorola entities.
The Collective Proceedings are for the period commencing 1 January 2020 and ending on 31 July 2023.
If your organisation paid for Airwave Services during the Claim Period but did not hold a contract with Airwave it may still be included in the class. Please refer to the class definition in the Notice (specifically the definition of "Financial Contribution") for more information.
Clare Spottiswoode CBE is bringing this claim on behalf of the Class. Clare's role is to represent and act in the best interests of the organisations that fall within the Class Definition while bringing their respective claims on a collective basis against the Defendants. For more information about Clare and the rest of the team involved in bringing the claim, please see the About Us page.
The claim is being brought in the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (also known as the “CAT”) which is a specialist court based in London. The CAT hears and decides cases involving competition issues and has expertise in law, economics, business and accountancy. The CAT publishes its Rules and Guidance, together with information about what it does, on its website: www.catribunal.org.uk. This claim's specific case page on the CAT website can be accessed here
Now that the claim has been certified, a Case Management Conference (CMC) has been listed for 4 March 2026 which will primarily deal with disclosure issues between the parties. Then, after some further procedural steps and possibly another CMC, the case will be heard at a trial. We are not able to predict at this stage when the trial will be listed. Please review the News section of the claim website for the latest happenings.
This is an ‘opt-out’ claim which means that anyone who falls within the Class definition will automatically be included, unless they actively opt-out. Class members do not have to sign up to be part of the claim at the outset, and will still be entitled to their share of any damages or settlement sums received.
However, we would recommend that people who fall within the Class register to be kept directly updated at key stages of the litigation and if there are damages or settlement sums available for Class members.
Purchasers and/or entities that made a specific financial contribution for the use of Airwave Services from 1 January 2020. “Airwave Services” means the products and services provided to customers of ASL by all the business lines of ASL, with the exception of:
The timescales for this claim are currently uncertain. Legal proceedings like this can take a long time, and a lot depends on timetabling decisions that the Competition Appeal Tribunal will make as the claim goes along. We'll keep you updated, but reaching a conclusion could take several years. A settlement could resolve it sooner.
Clare Spottiswoode CBE has filed an application for permission to bring collective proceedings as Class Representative on an opt-out basis against Airwave Solutions Limited (ASL), Motorola Solutions UK Limited (MSUK) and Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) (together "Motorola").
For collective proceedings to be brought, the Competition Appeal Tribunal must first make a Collective Proceedings Order (a “CPO”) authorising a person to act as representative for the class and certifying the claims as eligible for inclusion in collective proceedings.
At a hearing scheduled to commence on 12 September 2025 and conclude on 15 September 2025, the Competition Appeal Tribunal will hear the arguments as to whether Ms Spottiswoode should be authorised to act as the Class Representative and whether the claims Ms Spottiswoode proposes to bring can proceed on a collective basis. The hearing will last for two days and will take place at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Salisbury Square House, 8 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8AP.
Please be aware the deadline has now passed.
You may object to the Collective Proceedings Order Application or the authorisation of Clare Spottiswoode CBE as the Class Representative by writing to the Competition Appeal Tribunal by 4pm on 4 July 2025 stating your reason for objecting. This can be sent via email to registry@catribunal.org.uk or by post to the following address:
The Registrar
Competition Appeal Tribunal
Salisbury Square House
8 Salisbury Square
London
EC4Y 8AP
In addition, any member of the Class, or any third party with a legitimate interest (who is not a member of the Class), may apply to the Competition Appeal Tribunal for permission to make written and/or oral submissions at the Collective Proceedings Order hearing. Any such applications must be made in writing, supported by reasons and received by the Competition Appeal Tribunal by 4pm on 4 July 2025.
A feature of the competition class actions regime is that class representatives need their case to be certified and themselves be authorised to act on behalf of the class they are seeking to represent. These criteria (and other things) are assessed at a certification hearing (which for this case took place in September 2025). At the certification hearing, the CAT assesses whether the claim itself is robust enough to proceed to trial and whether the class representative is the right person to represent the class (e.g. that they have no conflict of interest and have sufficient litigation funding to pay the defendant's costs, if necessary). The CAT certified this case and authorised Clare to act on behalf of the class on 12 November 2025.
If the entity you represent falls within the class definition in the Notice and was based in the UK during the relevant time and wants to “opt out” – i.e. be removed from the claim – you can complete the online form or download it and send via email to info@emergencycommunicationsclaim.co.uk or via post to EC Claim Opt-Out, PO Box 82,091, London, EC2P 2WF.
To be processed, the opt-out letter must be received or postmarked by 12th February 2026.
If the opt-out letter is submitted after 12th February 2026 then the organisation will not be able to opt out of the class without the permission of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Once the opt-out is received and processed, you will be sent an acknowledgement by email if you have provided an email address, or by post if not.
By opting out, an entity will retain its right to bring its own separate claim against Motorola. However, if an entity opts out, it will not be able to receive any money from this claim (if money becomes available).
By opting out, an entity will retain its right to bring its own separate claim against Motorola. However, if an entity opts out, it will not be able to receive any money from this claim (if money becomes available).
Further information can be found in the Notice that has been approved by the Tribunal, which can be found here.