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Motorola Denied Appeal Permission in UK Emergency Services Network Case

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Motorola has been denied permission to appeal a ruling by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which found that the company was making “supernormal” profits on its contract to provide communication services to Britain’s emergency services. The Court of Appeal rejected Motorola’s application for an appeal on Friday, effectively upholding the CMA’s decision.

In July 2023, the CMA imposed a price cap on Motorola’s Airwave network, reducing its charges to a level the regulator deemed appropriate for a competitive market. The cap was expected to save approximately £200 million ($248 million) annually in charges to emergency services. Motorola had previously contested this decision in a 2023 tribunal but was unsuccessful.

George Lusty, CMA Executive Director, expressed satisfaction with the Court’s ruling, stating that the decision maintained the price cap, which limits how much Motorola can charge emergency services for the use of its Airwave network. He declared that the ruling marked the conclusion of the matter.

A Motorola Solutions spokesperson responded by asserting that Airwave continues to provide mission-critical communications for UK communities and emergency services. The spokesperson also stated that while the company strongly disagrees with the CMA’s decision, it remains focused on delivering top-tier emergency communications services for public safety users in the UK.

Rescuers Continue Search for Survivors in North Carolina Mountains After Devastating Hurricane Helene

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Rescue operations intensified on Tuesday as teams combed the mountainous regions of western North Carolina, desperately searching for survivors cut off by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. The storm, one of historic magnitude, has left at least 162 people dead across several southeastern U.S. states, with the toll expected to rise as rescue teams gain access to isolated areas.

North Carolina has been hit hardest, particularly Buncombe County, where the death toll rose to 57 on Tuesday. Asheville and the surrounding mountainous regions bore the brunt of the hurricane, as washed-out roads, collapsed bridges, and downed power lines have left many communities inaccessible.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas described the recovery as a “multibillion-dollar undertaking” that could take years. President Joe Biden pledged federal support to accelerate the recovery, acknowledging the urgency of the situation as hundreds remain unaccounted for.

Search Efforts and Tragic Losses The North Carolina National Guard has already rescued over 500 people, using helicopters to ferry in supplies and evacuate survivors. One of the many tragic stories to emerge was that of David Carver, 58, who was killed in a mudslide while trying to protect his home in Linville Falls. Despite a heroic 11-hour rescue attempt by his lifelong friend Ken Fisher, Carver succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

A “5,000-Year Event” Meteorologists have called the event a rare “5,000-year storm.” Tennessee climatologist Andrew Joyner explained that the combination of a pre-existing storm and Hurricane Helene created the perfect conditions for unprecedented precipitation in the Appalachian mountains, devastating communities like Swannanoa and Black Mountain.

Challenges Ahead Power outages remain widespread, with 420,000 homes in North Carolina still without electricity, down from a peak of 1 million. Emergency services are warning that recovery will be long and arduous, with many areas still without access to clean drinking water and other essential services.

 

Flights Grounded and Police Forced to Communicate by Text Amid IT Outage in Netherlands

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A widespread IT outage in the Netherlands, traced back to a network issue at the Dutch Ministry of Defence, has caused significant disruptions across the country. The network failure led to grounded flights, communication breakdowns, and major IT failures.

At Eindhoven Airport, the Netherlands’ second-largest airport, flights were grounded from early morning, with at least 14 cancellations reported. Passengers faced severe delays as flights from budget airlines Ryanair and Transavia were cancelled. Some flights were redirected to Germany’s Weeze Airport, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and Brussels Airport in Belgium. Eindhoven Airport also functions as a military airport, which may have exacerbated the issue. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has not reported any similar problems.

The IT outage has also impacted emergency services. The coastguard reported being unreachable by phone or radio, and police officers were forced to rely on mobile phones and text messaging for communication, as their usual systems were down.

Telecom company KPN experienced a major outage affecting its mobile services, though it is unclear if this issue is related to the problems at the defence ministry. The Dutch National Cybersecurity Centre has not yet determined if the outage was caused by a cyber attack.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence confirmed the network outage and is currently investigating the cause and extent of the problems. It is unclear how long the disruption will last, and no additional details have been provided.