AT&T claims LTE coverage edge, FirstNet build more than 99% done

AT&T claims a 250,000-square-mile coverage advantage and that the planned five-year deployment of the FirstNet public-safety broadband network operating on the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum licensed to the FirstNet Authority is more than 99% complete as a contractual deadline approaches this week.

AT&T—the contractor responsible for building and maintaining the FirstNet public-safety broadband system—made the claims in a press release issued last week about the carrier giant’s overall network growth.

“As America’s public safety’s communications partner, we’re giving more of the public-safety community access to their network,” according to the AT&T release. “FirstNet already covers 99%+ of the U.S. population, covering more first responders than any network. And now public safety on FirstNet has access to 250,000 more square miles than competing commercial network offerings.

“We’ve also surpassed 99%+ of our Band 14 coverage target with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), delivering more dedicated connectivity to federal, state, tribal, territorial, urban and rural first responders when they need it.”

A footnote in the release states that the 250,000-square-mile coverage advantage is “based on AT&T analysis of third-party data.” If true, these figures indicate that AT&T has dramatically turned the tables on carrier rival Verizon during the past several years, in terms of its wireless coverage footprint.

When AT&T was selected to build, operate and maintain the FirstNet system in 2017, Verizon was acknowledged as the dominant player in the public-safety broadband market, largely because of its superior LTE coverage in the U.S. For several years, Verizon claimed a significant LTE coverage advantage—between 400,000 square miles to 450,000 square miles, depending on the Verizon source.

Verizon officials stopped making this claim in early 2020, after AT&T cited third-party data indicating that its LTE coverage footprint was within 70,000 square miles of Verizon’s. Last year, AT&T claimed an LTE network footprint of 2.81 million square miles, which it said was 50,000 square miles more than any commercial rival. However, figures released by Verizon at the time indicated that AT&T had a 130,000-square-mile LTE coverage advantage.

AT&T now claims an LTE network footprint of 2.91 million square miles and at least a 250,000-square-mile coverage advantage when compared to any other U.S. carrier’s network.

Multiple AT&T officials have cited its obligation to meet public-safety network requirements—part of the 25-year agreement with the FirstNet Authority—as a key reason for the carrier’s investment to expand the growth of its LTE footprint.

Under the terms of its 25-year agreement with the FirstNet Authority, AT&T was contracted to finish the initial five-year buildout of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) on Band 14 spectrum by the end of this week. The clock for AT&T to complete this work began ticking at the end of March 2018, when the FirstNet Authority issued the task order calling for AT&T to embark on the work necessary to deploy the NPSBN operating on Band 14 in accordance with the state plans approved by 56 governors in late 2017.

Barring any late developments this week, the fact that AT&T said it has not completed 100% of the initial five-year FirstNet buildout means it could miss the upcoming deadline, resulting in the FirstNet Authority not paying the carrier the full $6.5 billion it could have earned for completing all FirstNet tasks within the contracted schedule.

This possibility was noted in AT&T’s most recent 10-K filing with the SEC. In that document, AT&T states that it expects to receive “almost” all of the $6.5 billion it is eligible to receive from the FirstNet Authority for completing all NPSBN tasks successfully and on time—an indication that at least some FirstNet tasks would not be finished on time.

This is surprising to some outside observers, because AT&T has passed previous FirstNet buildout benchmarks at least six months earlier than required by the contract. However, AT&T officials have always acknowledged that completing the project may not be straightforward, noting that the final 5% of the buildout would be the most difficult part to complete, for a variety of reasons.

The FirstNet Authority provided IWCE’s Urgent Communications with the following statement on the matter:

“The FirstNet Authority is pleased with the progress over the last five years to deploy the first public-safety broadband network and Band 14 coverage nationwide, including in hard-to-reach areas, tribal nations and rural communities,” according to the FirstNet Authority statement