The FirstNet communications platform – built with AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – continues to gain rapid momentum as it brings advanced capabilities to first responders across the country. It has well-surpassed the half-a-million mark, with 600,000+ device connections being used by more than 7,250 public safety agencies. And it continues to expand the coverage, capacity and capability available to first responders, giving Public Safety a network experience that consistently performs over 25% faster than any commercial network.1
Transforming Public Safety Communications
Recent agencies to subscribe to FirstNet include AAA Ambulance Service, American Medical Response, Anchorage Police Department, Chicago Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Seattle Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Last year’s 7.0 earthquake really brought the significance of the FirstNet system to light. When the shaking stopped, I relied on my FirstNet phone to begin our response to the disaster,” said Justin Doll, Anchorage Police Chief. “Where others had trouble connecting due to network congestion, FirstNet gave us the uninterrupted ability to coordinate our tireless efforts to keep the citizens of Anchorage safe.”
A majority of agencies and nearly 50% of FirstNet’s total connections are new subscribers (not AT&T migrations), and that mix continues to shift. Since January 2019, most of the FirstNet connections added are new subscribers to AT&T. This underscores the role FirstNet is playing to expand Public Safety’s adoption of wireless capabilities.
“We are always looking for new ways to be innovative in the fire service,” said Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. “FirstNet is highly beneficial to the first responder community and will improve our communications during and following a major disaster, such as an earthquake. This system provides firefighters with a tool to communicate with one another, without the worry of congestion issues.”
FirstNet is for all Public Safety – career and volunteer, urban, rural or tribal. So, AT&T launched the FirstNet Digital Sign Up Portal to help qualified first responders gain access to FirstNet service. Individual first responders can now subscribe online at virtually any time, from anywhere.
“FirstNet is a gamechanger for first responders – from volunteer firefighters in the rural part of Alabama to the EMTs in more populous metro areas across our great state,” said Reid Vaughan, Executive Director of the Alabama Firefighters Association.
Extending Connectivity to New Communities
To better serve Public Safety, we continue to extend the reach of the FirstNet communications platform. Band 14 spectrum has been deployed in more than 600 markets,2 further giving FirstNet the ability to reach agencies large and small, urban, rural and tribal with the connectivity and modern communications tools they need.
“Rural Idaho presents significant challenges in terms of emergency communications coverage and interoperability,” said Elmore County Sheriff Mike Hollinshead. “FirstNet is addressing our challenges of coverage and providing state of the art capabilities needed to ensure the safety of the public and our law enforcement officers."
“We provide emergency ambulance services to 1.2 million residents across 16 counties in rural Mississippi. Serving a large rural environment can present a number of challenges, but with FirstNet, communications are no longer one of those,” said Andy Geske, Chief of Information Technology, AAA Ambulance Service. “No matter where we go in or outside of the counties we cover, FirstNet has given us clear communications to coordinate and interoperate across our crews. When it comes to providing time-critical, life-saving services, FirstNet’s reliable, easy-to-access and persistent connection is vital. It’ll also enable us to advance our services forward; we expect capabilities like emergency telemedicine are now just around the corner.”
Enabling the Fastest Overall Experience for Public Safety
AT&T was recently recognized as the fastest wireless network in the nation,3 according to the first quarter 2019 results of tests taken with Speedtest® as analyzed by Ookla®. Since FirstNet subscribers have access to all AT&T LTE bands in addition to Band 14, these results translate to the network experience delivered by the public safety communications platform.
Even better, with the specialized capabilities enabled by the physically separate and dedicated FirstNet network core – like priority and preemption – the FirstNet communications platform brings FirstNet subscribers the fastest overall experience. According to the results of tests taken with Speedtest as analyzed by AT&T, FirstNet consistently performs over 25% faster than any commercial network.1
“Our team remains focused on delivering the modern capabilities, coverage and capacity needed to strengthen first responders’ communications nationwide. These results serve as another proof point to show the work is paying off for Public Safety,” said Chris Sambar, senior vice president of FirstNet, AT&T. “We’ve entered the second year of our FirstNet Band 14 rollout with incredible momentum, already tracking well ahead of schedule, covering more than 50% of our total nationwide coverage targets. And we don’t intend to slow down as we keep delivering for those we rely on most.”
Taking FirstNet Connectivity to New Heights
Connectivity is going airborne. We’ve added 3 Flying Cells on Wings (COWs) to the FirstNet deployable program. Each Flying COW is:
- Comprised of 2 tethered drones and a trailer for transport that is equipped with a satellite dish and fiber connections.
- Capable of withstanding light rain and wind speeds up to 25 miles per hour.
- Able to reach heights of up to 400 feet, making it ideal for situations like wildfires and mountain rescue missions where the terrain may have previously made it difficult to maintain connectivity.
- Set to be outfitted with Band 14 in the second half of 2019.
With access to a nationwide fleet of deployable network assets – that now includes the Flying COWs – we can help equip FirstNet subscribers in the U.S. with the unthrottled connectivity they need, no matter the emergency. Like the other 72 assets, the FirstNet Flying COWs are available 24/7 at no additional charge. The FirstNet team at AT&T will determine the appropriate asset to send – or resolution – based on the situation.
“FirstNet is transforming the marketplace for public safety communications – delivering products, services and technologies that are making a difference for our first responders,” said Ed Parkinson, Acting CEO of the FirstNet Authority. “We are excited about the progress of the network enhancements. As we move forward, the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T will continue to work with Public Safety to advance and evolve the network platform to meet their ongoing communications needs.”
Source: https://about.att.com/story/2019/fn_expands_coverage.html