The United States now runs 1,261 P25 trunking systems, yet 42% of local public safety organizations that use land mobile radio (LMR) are still on systems more than 10 years old. That gap between a growing digital footprint and an aging installed base is the story of the P25 migration in 2026. Among U.S. trunking systems the split between Phase 1 and the newer Phase 2 air interface stands at 630 to 631, and 36% of local LMR users still transmit with no encryption at all. Unlike the hobbyist world covered in our ham radio statistics, these are the networks that police, fire and EMS crews depend on during emergencies. We aggregated data from the P25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG), CISA’s SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023, the FirstNet Authority, Motorola Solutions’ SEC filings, GAO, the FCC, the UK Public Accounts Committee, and several market research firms.
TL;DR
- 1,372 P25 trunking systems are listed worldwide, and U.S. systems split 630 Phase 1 vs 631 Phase 2 (PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026).
- 2,387 P25 conventional systems were listed, 31% more than in 2020 (PTIG, P25 Conventional Systems List 2023).
- 42% of local LMR systems are over 10 years old, and 36% of local LMR users run no encryption (CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023).
- Over 55% of organizations had no funding for cybersecurity investment or upkeep (DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018).
- Five TETRA vulnerabilities were disclosed, two of them critical (Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST 2023).
- FirstNet passed 7.8 million device connections, but LMR interworking only launches fully in 2026 (FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025).
- UK spent about 2 billion pounds on its 4G replacement for TETRA while Airwave’s switch-off slid from 2019 to 2026 (UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023).
- Motorola’s Q2 2026 sales rose 13% to $3.1 billion, with a record second-quarter backlog of $15.6 billion (Motorola Solutions, Q2 2026 Results).
- Global LMR market: $17.89 billion in 2024, forecast $32.24 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets, Land Mobile Radio Market 2025).
- Relocating public safety out of the T-Band would cost $5 to $6 billion vs about $2 billion in auction revenue (GAO-19-508, 2019).
1. How Many P25 Systems Exist: Trunked and Conventional Counts
P25 (Project 25) is the North American family of digital radio standards built so that radios from different manufacturers can talk to each other. Systems come in two forms: trunked systems, where a controller assigns talk channels automatically from a shared pool, and conventional systems, where each group uses fixed channels. PTIG’s January 2026 list counts 1,372 P25 trunking systems, up 92 from the 1,280 in the July 2024 edition, a 7.2% rise in 18 months (92 / 1,280).
The growth is no longer coming from first-time adopters alone. The list’s authors note that smaller local systems are folding into regional and statewide networks, which means the count can flatten even while coverage and users expand. The July 2024 list makes the point: once systems listed in more than one state are removed, 1,280 becomes 981. The conventional count grew 31% between the 2020 and 2023 lists, so digital fixed-channel systems are spreading too. See the January 2026 trunking list announcement and the 2023 conventional list announcement.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| P25 trunking systems identified worldwide, January 2026 list (U.S. vs international systems in brackets) | 1,372, including 78 new systems (1,261 U.S. vs 105 international) | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 |
| Known P25 systems, trunking and conventional lists combined | 3,759 | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 |
| P25 trunking systems, July 2024 list (count after removing systems listed in more than one state) | 1,280 (981) | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List July 2024 |
| P25 conventional systems, 2023 list | 2,387, including 571 newly identified | PTIG, P25 Conventional Systems List 2023 |
| Increase in conventional systems from the 2020 list (1,816) to the 2023 list | 31% | PTIG, P25 Conventional Systems List 2023 |
| Time P25 has been in development (first agreement meeting held September 1989) | More than 30 years | APCO International, P25 Organizational Overview 2026 |
| Members of the P25 Steering Committee at full strength (4 APCO, 4 NASTD, 5 federal, up to 8 user organizations) | 21 | APCO International, P25 Organizational Overview 2026 |
Context note: the conventional figure dates from PTIG’s 2023 list and has not been refreshed since, so the combined 3,759 mixes 2026 trunking data with 2023 conventional data. Most recent available data for conventional systems: PTIG, 2023.
2. Phase 1 to Phase 2: Where the Digital Upgrade Stands
P25 has two air interfaces. Phase 1 (FDMA) gives each conversation its own channel; Phase 2 (TDMA) alternates two conversations in time slots on one channel, which squeezes more capacity from the same spectrum. Among U.S. trunking systems the count is now 631 Phase 2 against 630 Phase 1, a dead heat. Including international systems, Phase 2’s share of listed trunking systems moved only from 47.7% in mid-2024 (610 of 1,280) to 48.3% in January 2026 (663 of 1,372).
That slow drift tells you Phase 2 upgrades are tied to replacement cycles and capital budgets, not to a mandate. The agency-side data points the same way: adding ‘both phases’ and ‘Phase 2 only’ answers gives 62% of local LMR users with Phase 2 compliant systems (53% + 9%), while adding all three compliant answers gives 90% that are P25 compliant in some form (53% + 28% + 9%). The remaining 10% are a hard core of non-standard systems. Vendor order books show the upgrade money arriving one county at a time, as in the Motorola Q2 2026 results.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. P25 trunking systems by air interface, Phase 1 (FDMA) vs Phase 2 (TDMA), January 2026 (all listed systems including international in brackets) | 630 vs 631 (709 vs 663) | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 |
| P25 trunking systems by air interface, May 2024 database count used for the July 2024 list | Phase 1: 670, Phase 2: 610 | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List July 2024 |
| Local organizations using LMR, by P25 compliance: both phases / Phase 1 only / Phase 2 only / not compliant | 53% / 28% / 9% / 10% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Largest P25 system-upgrade orders named in quarterly results | $34 million (U.S. state and local customer), $22 million (St. Louis County, Missouri) | Motorola Solutions, Q2 2026 Results (vendor-reported) |
| TIA TR-8 engineering subcommittees that write and maintain the P25 standards | 14 | APCO International, P25 Organizational Overview 2026 |
Context note: the January 2026 trunking list also cites significant Phase 2 upgrades in military systems, so the U.S. civilian Phase 2 share may lag the headline split.
3. Aging Radio Infrastructure and the Funding Gap
Radio systems are bought with one-off capital, and the age profile shows how many agencies are overdue for that purchase. Only 6% of local organizations using LMR run a system a year old or newer, while 42% run one older than 10 years. The 2018 edition of the same national survey found fewer than one in seven organizations using a system less than a year old; the two editions use different methods, but neither shows a fast refresh cycle.
The bottleneck is money, not technology. Two-thirds of local organizations rely on grants, and nearly three-quarters say they cannot afford needed equipment upgrades. Old systems also mean old coverage problems. In 2018, 91% of organizations said poor in-building coverage affected their ability to communicate, a pain point that firefighters also feel through noise, as covered in our firefighter siren noise exposure statistics. The SAFECOM Nationwide Survey resource page hosts the 2018 results.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local organizations’ LMR systems by age: over 10 years / 6 to 10 years / 2 to 5 years / 0 to 1 year | 42% / 24% / 28% / 6% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Local organizations relying on grants for communications funding / unable to afford necessary equipment upgrades | 66% / nearly three-quarters | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Organizations using a communications system less than a year old, 2018 | Fewer than one in seven | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| Organizations rating their LMR system as unreliable, 2018 | Over 5% | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| Organizations saying poor in-building coverage affects their ability to communicate, 2018 | 91% | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| UK police spending on Airwave radio devices since 2018, plus spending expected by 2026 | 125 million pounds, plus 25 million pounds | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
Context note: the 2018 survey was a random sample, while the 2023 survey invited every organization in the targeted disciplines (a census design). Treat 2018 to 2023 comparisons as directional. Most recent available data for the 2018 figures: DHS, 2018.
4. Encryption and Cybersecurity on Digital Voice Networks
Digital voice makes strong encryption possible, but it does not switch it on. 36% of local LMR users run no encryption at all, and only 29% use AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). Another 16% still use DES, an older cipher, and 29% use proprietary schemes that may not interoperate with neighbors.
The cyber posture behind the radios is thin too. 42% of local organizations had none of the 10 listed cybersecurity measures in place, and 23% reported experiencing ransomware. Five years earlier, over 55% had no funding for cybersecurity at all. Outside the U.S., the TETRA:BURST disclosure by Midnight Blue showed that even a standardized cipher can carry a built-in weakness: the TEA1 key could be brute-forced on consumer hardware in minutes. Reaching the public raises its own coverage gaps, a topic in our emergency alert accessibility statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption used by local LMR users: AES / proprietary / DES / none (more than one answer allowed) | 29% / 29% / 16% / 36% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Local organizations that experienced ransomware / that had none of the 10 listed cybersecurity measures | 23% / 42% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Organizations with no funding for cybersecurity capital investment or operating costs, 2018 | Over 55% | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| Organizations identifying a cybersecurity disruption or breach as affecting their communications, 2018 | 44% | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| Vulnerabilities disclosed in the TETRA radio standard (two rated critical) | 5 | Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST 2023 |
| Time needed to brute-force the weakened TEA1 key on consumer hardware | Minutes | Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST 2023 |
| Countries where TETRA is used | More than 100 | Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST 2023 |
Context note: TETRA:BURST was made public on July 24, 2023. It concerns TETRA, the European counterpart of P25, not P25 itself. Most recent available data: Midnight Blue, 2023.
5. Broadband Overlay: FirstNet in the U.S. and the UK Replacement Program
Cellular broadband was once pitched as the successor to LMR. The numbers show it became a parallel layer instead. FirstNet passed 7.8 million device connections across about 30,600 agencies in fiscal 2025, yet full interworking with LMR is still listed as a 2026 milestone. Motorola Solutions’ 10-K adds that government moves to shift public safety from LMR to public broadband have “gained limited traction to date”, a vendor’s view but one consistent with the agency data.
The UK is the cautionary tale. It chose to replace its nationwide Airwave TETRA network with a 4G system, and by 2023 had spent about 2 billion pounds without a working replacement, while the Airwave switch-off slid seven years from 2019 to 2026 (our arithmetic). That experience helps explain why U.S. agencies keep paying for P25 upgrades even as they buy broadband devices. The dispatch side of the same voice chain is covered in our 911 text and voice dispatch statistics. Details are in the FirstNet Authority FY2025 Annual Report and the UK parliamentary committee report on the ESN.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FirstNet device connections, fiscal year 2025 | More than 7.8 million | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| Public safety agencies and organizations subscribed to FirstNet, fiscal year 2025 | About 30,600 | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| Devices certified as FirstNet Ready, fiscal year 2024 vs fiscal year 2025 | Over 865 vs 1,229 | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| Interworking between FirstNet devices and LMR systems | Full launch expected in 2026 | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| UK spending on the 4G Emergency Services Network since 2015 | About 2 billion pounds | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
| UK Emergency Services Network cost estimate, June 2021 | 11 billion pounds | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
| Planned Airwave TETRA switch-off: original plan vs June 2021 revision | 2019 vs 2026 | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
| UK police, fire and ambulance services that use Airwave (England, Scotland and Wales) | 108 | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
Context note: the FirstNet Band 14 license (20 MHz of dedicated spectrum) depends on reauthorization by February 22, 2027, per the same FirstNet report. The UK figures date from July 2023 and are the most recent available data.
6. Market Size, Vendor Revenue and Order Flow
Market research firms agree on the direction but not the level. MarketsandMarkets puts the global LMR market at $17.89 billion in 2024, rising to $32.24 billion by 2030. Fortune Business Insights lands close for 2025 at $18.64 billion, with North America holding 31.30% of the total. The two firms disagree on the technology mix, which is a useful warning about treating any single estimate as fact (see Data watch below).
Public filings are firmer ground. Motorola Solutions, which describes itself as a global leader in two-way radio including P25, sold $7.25 billion through its products and systems unit in 2025, and 84% of that came from mission critical networks, the category that holds its LMR business. Product and systems growth in that category slowed from 12% in 2024 to 6% in 2025, but 2026 picked up again: second-quarter sales rose 13%, and backlog (orders signed but not yet delivered) hit a record for a second quarter. The Motorola 10-K for 2025 has the segment detail.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global LMR market, 2024 value and 2030 forecast (CAGR 2025 to 2030) | $17.89 billion to $32.24 billion (10.7%) | MarketsandMarkets, Land Mobile Radio Market 2025 (market research estimate) |
| Global LMR market, 2025 value and 2026 forecast | $18.64 billion and $20.48 billion | Fortune Business Insights, Land Mobile Radio Market 2026 (market research estimate) |
| North America share of the global LMR market, 2025 | 31.30% | Fortune Business Insights, Land Mobile Radio Market 2026 (market research estimate) |
| Analog share of the global LMR market, 2026 forecast | 56.65% | Fortune Business Insights, Land Mobile Radio Market 2026 (market research estimate) |
| Motorola Products and Systems Integration net sales, 2025 vs 2024 | $7,253 million vs $6,883 million | Motorola Solutions, Form 10-K FY2025 (vendor filing) |
| Share of Motorola Products and Systems Integration net sales from mission critical networks (including legacy LMR), 2025 | 84% | Motorola Solutions, Form 10-K FY2025 (vendor filing) |
| Growth in Motorola mission critical networks product and systems sales, 2025 vs 2024 (2024 vs 2023 in brackets) | +$327 million, 6% (+$612 million, 12%) | Motorola Solutions, Form 10-K FY2025 (vendor filing) |
| Motorola second-quarter 2026 sales and ending backlog | $3.1 billion, up 13%; $15.6 billion, up 11% | Motorola Solutions, Q2 2026 Results (vendor-reported) |
Context note: after buying Silvus Technologies in August 2025, Motorola renamed its LMR category to Mission Critical Networks and folded Silvus into it, so the category is no longer a pure LMR measure.
7. Spectrum Rules That Shape the Migration
Every P25 upgrade sits on spectrum decisions made years earlier. The FCC required VHF and UHF licensees to move from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz channels by January 1, 2013, with forfeitures of up to $16,000 per violation or per day of a continuing violation. Narrowbanding (moving each radio channel to half the former width) moved licensees in those bands off 25 kHz operation, and it set the channel plan that later digital upgrades had to fit.
Two later decisions shaped where systems live. In the T-Band (470-512 MHz), relocating public safety would have cost far more than an auction could raise, according to GAO-19-508, and Congress repealed the auction mandate in 2020. In the 800 MHz band, the FCC closed a rebanding program in 2021 that ran 17 years from its 2004 start (our arithmetic), per FCC Order 21-41. Both cases show that moving radio users is slow and costly, which is why digital migration usually happens in place.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline for VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (421-470 MHz) licensees to move from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz channels | January 1, 2013 | FCC, Enforcement Advisory 2012-05 (DA 12-1386) 2012 |
| Maximum FCC forfeiture for a narrowbanding violation | Up to $16,000 per violation or per day; up to $112,500 for a single act | FCC, Enforcement Advisory 2012-05 (DA 12-1386) 2012 |
| Large U.S. metropolitan areas using the T-Band for public safety communications | 11 | GAO, GAO-19-508 2019 |
| FCC estimate of public safety relocation cost out of the T-Band vs most optimistic auction revenue | $5 to $6 billion vs about $2 billion | GAO, GAO-19-508 2019 |
| Date the T-Band auction mandate was repealed (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021) | December 27, 2020 | GAO, GAO-19-508 2019 (status update) |
| Licensees that completed physical reconfiguration in the 800 MHz rebanding program | 2,169 | FCC, Order FCC 21-41 2021 |
| Sprint creditable expenses for 800 MHz rebanding and 1.9 GHz band clearing | More than $2.8 billion | FCC, Order FCC 21-41 2021 |
Context note: these are regulatory milestones rather than fresh measurements. Most recent available data: GAO, 2019; FCC, 2021.
Summary: Land Mobile Radio P25 Digital Migration by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| P25 trunking systems listed worldwide, January 2026 | 1,372 | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 |
| U.S. trunking systems, Phase 1 vs Phase 2 | 630 vs 631 | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 |
| P25 trunking systems, July 2024 list | 1,280 | PTIG, P25 Trunking Systems List July 2024 |
| P25 conventional systems listed | 2,387 | PTIG, P25 Conventional Systems List 2023 |
| Local LMR users P25 compliant on both phases | 53% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Local LMR systems over 10 years old | 42% | CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023 |
| Organizations with no cybersecurity funding, 2018 | Over 55% | DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 |
| TETRA vulnerabilities disclosed (two critical) | 5 | Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST 2023 |
| FirstNet device connections, FY2025 | More than 7.8 million | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| FirstNet subscribed agencies, FY2025 | About 30,600 | FirstNet Authority, Annual Report FY2025 |
| UK spending on its 4G Emergency Services Network since 2015 | About 2 billion pounds | UK Public Accounts Committee, The Emergency Services Network 2023 |
| Global LMR market forecast, 2030 | $32.24 billion | MarketsandMarkets, Land Mobile Radio Market 2025 |
| Global LMR market, 2025 | $18.64 billion | Fortune Business Insights, Land Mobile Radio Market 2026 |
| Motorola Products and Systems Integration net sales, 2025 | $7,253 million | Motorola Solutions, Form 10-K FY2025 (vendor filing) |
| Motorola Q2 2026 ending backlog | $15.6 billion | Motorola Solutions, Q2 2026 Results (vendor-reported) |
| T-Band public safety relocation cost estimate | $5 to $6 billion | GAO, GAO-19-508 2019 |
| Licensees that completed 800 MHz rebanding | 2,169 | FCC, Order FCC 21-41 2021 |
| VHF and UHF narrowbanding deadline | January 1, 2013 | FCC, Enforcement Advisory 2012-05 (DA 12-1386) 2012 |
Methodology and Sources
- PTIG, Project 25 Trunking Systems List January 2026 (announcement): system totals, Phase 1 and Phase 2 split, U.S. and international counts.
- PTIG, Project 25 Trunking Systems List July 2024 (announcement): 2024 totals and May 2024 phase counts.
- PTIG, P25 Conventional Systems List 2023 (announcement): conventional totals and growth since 2020.
- APCO International, Project 25 Organizational Overview: history and governance of the standard.
- CISA, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2023, National-Level Results Summary (program page: cisa.gov/safecom/sns): P25 compliance, system age, funding, encryption and cybersecurity among local organizations.
- DHS, SAFECOM Nationwide Survey 2018 Results (resource page): 2018 baseline on system age, reliability, coverage and cyber funding.
- Midnight Blue, TETRA:BURST: TETRA vulnerability disclosure.
- FirstNet Authority, Annual Report to Congress FY2025: connections, agencies, devices and LMR interworking status.
- UK House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, The Emergency Services Network (HC 1006, July 2023): UK ESN spending, cost estimate and Airwave timeline.
- Motorola Solutions, Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025: segment sales, technology mix and backlog (vendor filing).
- Motorola Solutions, Q2 2026 Financial Results: quarterly sales, backlog and named P25 orders (vendor-reported).
- MarketsandMarkets, Land Mobile Radio Market press release (November 2025): market size estimate.
- Fortune Business Insights, Land Mobile Radio Market: market size, regional share and analog share estimates.
- GAO, GAO-19-508: FCC T-Band auction and public safety relocation: T-Band costs and repeal status.
- FCC, Order FCC 21-41: Improving Public Safety Communications in the 800 MHz Band: close-out of 800 MHz rebanding.
- FCC, Enforcement Advisory 2012-05 (DA 12-1386) on narrowbanding: narrowbanding deadline and penalties.
- Data watch: PTIG’s January 2026 announcement is internally inconsistent: 1,261 U.S. plus 105 international systems adds to 1,366, not the stated 1,372, while its international phase figures (79 Phase 1 plus 32 Phase 2) add to 111, which would reconcile; we report the totals as published. The July 2024 list has a similar small mismatch (1,218 plus a stated net gain of 64 is 1,282, not 1,280). The conventional count dates from 2023, and we found no newer PTIG conventional list. The two market research firms conflict: MarketsandMarkets says the digital segment will hold the larger share, while Fortune Business Insights forecasts analog at 56.65% in 2026; neither discloses full methodology, so treat both as estimates. The 2023 national survey covers local (county and municipal) organizations only and reports sample proportions, and its census design differs from the 2018 random sample. The UK 11 billion pound figure is a June 2021 estimate and the 2026 switch-off date comes from the same plan; a revised business case was due after the 2023 report. Motorola’s Mission Critical Networks figures include Silvus from August 2025. Data older than three years (FCC 2012 and 2021, GAO 2019, DHS 2018) is flagged as most recent available.
Last updated: October 24, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when PTIG publishes its next P25 Trunking Systems List and Motorola Solutions reports its third-quarter 2026 results.