https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Urgent Matters


Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications

  • Written by Donny Jackson
  • 30th March 2018
It has only been a year since AT&T was awarded with the nationwide FirstNet contract. For public safety, progress on the FirstNet LTE system is moving much faster than expected, driven largely by the decision to provide priority and preemption across all of AT&T’s commercial spectrum.

What is in this article?

  • Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
  • Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
  • Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
  • Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
  • Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications

Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications

For a public-safety community that had been told for years that Band 14 spectrum would be at the heart of the FirstNet system, the idea of utilizing AT&T’s commercial spectrum was difficult for many to grasp and accept. This is understandable, given the fact that this approach was not something public safety expected and was not what was in the FirstNet RFP.

But leveraging AT&T’s commercial spectrum provides many advantages, including:

  • Quicker time to market for a network offering—Public safety has been waiting for this broadband capability for more than a decade, and this approach provide an immediate coverage base.
  • Greater capacity/flexibility during emergencies—20 MHz of Band 14 is a lot of spectrum, but it is still conceivable that several first responder streaming video from a scene could create capacity problems in a given cell sector. Having access to AT&T’s commercial spectrum typically should address any capacity concerns, particularly because AT&T plans to deploy 40 MHz of AWS-3 and WCS spectrum in locations where Band 14 is deployed.
  • Easier technology-upgrade path—FirstNet is designed as a 4G network, but U.S. carriers plan to begin rollout of 5G networks on millimeter-wave spectrum (at 28 GHz and 39 GHz) later this year. FirstNet does not hold a license to any millimeter-wave spectrum, but working with AT&T can ensure that public safety will not be left behind during the 25-year period of the contract.

To be clear, it’s not like AT&T is going to ignore the Band 14 spectrum licensed to FirstNet. Chris Sambar, AT&T’s senior vice president for FirstNet, has said that the carrier plans to provide Band 14 coverage to at least 95% of the U.S. population.

In addition, the Band 14 deployment—again, coupled with deployments of the 40 MHz of AWS-3 and WCS spectrum, in most cases—apparently will be executed more quickly than originally anticipated, with deployment happening at one-third of AT&T’s existing sites this year. Not only does AT&T have the promise of $6.5 billion in reimbursement from FirstNet to pay for such deployments, the new corporate tax structure means AT&T has more money for capital expenditures.

But perhaps the biggest reason for optimism that FirstNet coverage will be enhanced quickly is that governors for all 56 states and territories made “opt-in” decisions last year. FirstNet and AT&T resources that conceivably would have been used to address at least a year’s work of potentially complex technical and legal issues associated with “opt-out” states can now be devoted to deploying the network and developing public-safety services.

AT&T has even greater incentive to maintain focus on its FirstNet deployment and offerings, because archrival Verizon—currently the market-share leader in public-safety broadband—has been made it clear that it does not intend to lose its public-safety customers. Verizon officials essentially have vowed to match FirstNet offerings, with the carrier this week also making a public-safety LTE core announcement.

Numerous public-safety officials have commented that it is great to have AT&T and Verizon taking steps to cater to first-responder entities now, because it was not long ago that carriers were reluctant to respond to public-safety requests.

FirstNet’s impact on the market also has extended beyond the cellular world. At IWCE 2018 show in Orlando early this month, the exhibit-hall booths—even those manned by longtime LMR companies—commonly showcased new solutions that are designed to interoperate with FirstNet or other broadband offerings.

Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Even in its first year, FirstNet-AT&T partnership has a significant impact on public-safety communications
Tags: Commentary Coverage/Interference Funding IWCE Long Term Evolution (LTE) NTIA/FirstNet Public Safety Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet System Design System Installation Test & Measurement Urgent Matters Commentary

Related Content

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Sesame Solar leverages mobile solar, hydrogen to power efforts beyond the grid dlvr.it/ST8m3K

1st July 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine dlvr.it/ST7fnC

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

China-backed APT pwns building-automation systems with ProxyLogon dlvr.it/ST6q7m

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Samsung fills its 2G hole in new challenge to Ericsson and Nokia dlvr.it/ST6hBK

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Militarized drone swarms coming dlvr.it/ST6dNz

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Take American City & County’s budgeting survey dlvr.it/ST6Yxb

30th June 2022
UrgentComm

Final cases made about Airwave, ESN, before CMA issues provisional decision on Motorola Solutions dlvr.it/ST4Q6X

29th June 2022
UrgentComm

Polaris Wireless: Manlio Allegra talks 911 Z-axis tech, future IoT opportunities dlvr.it/ST1384

28th June 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X