AT&T issues statement in response to Verizon’s public-safety proposal

FirstNet nationwide contractor AT&T today issued the following statement in response to Verizon’s announcement that it will build a dedicated public-safety LTE core for its first-responder customers in 2018, as well as provide public safety with prioritized—and eventually preemptive—access across its network beginning this year:

“What we’re offering to public safety through our private-public partnership will be fundamentally different from anything they’ve previously been offered in the marketplace,” according to a statement from an AT&T spokesman. “FirstNet is bringing public safety a superior network and ecosystem with specialized features, including increased coverage and capacity along with priority and preemption, so first responder subscribers can be confident that the network will be there when and where they need it—24/7/365, like their mission.”