More than 600,000 connections made under FirstNet platform

More than 600,000 devices used by more than 7,250 public-safety agencies have connected to the FirstNet communications platform.

FirstNet is intended for public-safety agencies. In more than 600 markets, band 14 spectrum has been deployed, allowing agencies of all sizes in urban, rural and tribal areas to connect to the modern communications tools they need.

Since January, the majority of the connections added have been new subscribers.

Among the recent subscribers are the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Anchorage Police Department, the Chicago Police Department, the Seattle Fire Department, the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, American Medical Response, and AAA Ambulance Service.

“Last year’s 7.0 earthquake really brought the significance of the FirstNet system to light,” Justin Doll, Anchorage police chief, said. “When the shaking stopped, I relied on my FirstNet phone to begin our response to the disaster. 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.”

FirstNet is a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T.

During the first quarter of this year, AT&T had the fastest wireless network, according to Speedtest.