FirstNet expands 5G for first responders to more than 40 cities

The public safety wireless communications provider known as FirstNet announced plans this week to expand 5G operations, improve connectivity and enhance 9-1-1 resiliency now that it has reached more than 40 cities throughout the United States.

“By delivering 5G on FirstNet in this unique way, public safety is getting a head start on the future of connectivity, without compromising on the reliability they require for their critical communications,” Jason Porter, president of Public Sector and FirstNet at AT&T, said. “And with first responder agencies now able to put their network in buildings where they need it most, we’re equipping first responders with a network that’s second-to-none today and for decades to come.”

A network dedicated to first responders, specifically, FirstNet, was built with AT&T. Through that connection, it offers mid-band 5G+ spectrum and the resulting fast connectivity speeds in about 100 markets. First responder agencies in covered areas can also get Cell Booster Pros to improve access in areas with previous connectivity issues without cost. Those boosters are essentially mini cell sites that offer connectivity through the Band 14 spectrum and AT&T commercial LTE. Further, users are able to mesh three of these sites in a building, increasing their coverage by up to 45,000 square feet.

FirstNet efforts have gained particular traction in Tennessee, where the state seeks to deploy integrated AT&T ESlnet with the FirstNet network at every public safety answering point (PSAP) – 9-1-1 call center. This should help such centers weather outages better and extend network connectivity to more rural areas. If ESlnet detects a disruption to a call center’s primary connection, it will automatically reroute 9-1-1 calls over the FirstNet network to a remote PSAP and allow the whole response system to continue as normal.

To date, FirstNet noted that AT&T is the only carrier capable of end-to-end emergency communication solutions.