FirstNet sets bar high for cybersecurity while pursuing ambitious timeline

What is much more easily identified is that the prospects of FirstNet being successful improve exponentially, if the cybersecurity issue can be addressed effectively.

Not only will traditional public-safety users be more willing to subscribe, but other secondary enterprise users also may want to get on a network that they know is more secure that a typical commercial alternative—even if they know that they could get bumped off the system in the rare case that a large emergency occurs within the cell sectors they use. And, if the secondary-use market benefits, the overall FirstNet system becomes much more viable, from an economic perspective.

In addition, if FirstNet can establish a sound cybersecurity model, it will be of immense value—to other government entities and enterprises, both inside the U.S. and abroad, particularly where public-safety LTE systems are being deployed in other countries. Whether it could—or should—be monetized as intellectual property or simply used as goodwill/political capital, recipients will be thankful and appreciative of a cost-effective cybersecurity approach that works.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now, the key for FirstNet is to identify a cybersecurity framework that is effective, usable and is not so expensive that public safety cannot afford to implement it. It’s a tall order, but it needs to happen. If FirstNet can execute on its cybersecurity goals—particularly in its target timelines—the benefits promise to be tremendous to the safety of citizens and first responders.