As Hurricane Helene barrels up the east coast, AT&T's FirstNet Response Operations Group (ROG) and Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team are following and tracking the hurricane to support first responders with network connectivity and emergency resources.

The First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet) is a US government agency focused on delivering a nationwide wireless network to public-safety agencies, including police and firefighters. The FirstNet network is operated by AT&T and utilizes FirstNet's Band 14 700MHz spectrum and AT&T's commercial spectrum bands.

Light Reading spoke with Rich Johnson and Kelley Adley, both former law enforcement officials who are now on AT&T's ROG team, about how AT&T supports first responders during a hurricane.

As of Thursday afternoon, Johnson and Adley were standing by in Daphne, Alabama, with a team of 14 ROG members. ROG, which includes about 44 members in total and is made up of former first responders, works closely with the NDR team plus 400 other AT&T employees on the support team.

The ROG team also collaborates with the AT&T Weather Operations Center, which assists in making tactical decisions on where and when the ROG team should go to support first responders during a natural disaster, explained Johnson, who is associate director of Law Enforcement at FirstNet. AT&T is the only carrier with a team of dedicated meteorologists, he said.

The AT&T Weather Operations Center watches the hurricane's path and forecast "just like the weather service and provides us really good information to make those tactical decisions on where best to be safely, because you want to be part of the solution, not part of a problem," explained Johnson.

Deployable network assets

AT&T also has a suite of network assets that can be deployed based on what's needed during the hurricane. Assets include SatCOLTs, which are vehicles that act as mobile cell sites and connect via satellite, and the 5G Flying COW (Cell on Wings), a drone that provides 5G coverage.

FirstNet provides connectivity to first responders via Band 14, which is spectrum set aside for public safety, explained Johnson. The service provider is also working on deploying a standalone 5G core to shift from 4G LTE to 5G coverage for first responders.

FirstNet's investment budget for 2024 is $547 million, and the government agency plans to allocate a portion of that to deploying advanced 5G services. AT&T won the FirstNet contract in 2017 and is a federal entity.

"We [can] isolate to the Band 14 to make sure the first responders can talk outside of the commercial [band] so our first responders can do their search and rescue, their recovery, what they need to do in the field in this critical time," said Adley, who is director of FirstNet Strategy & Policy for AT&T.

In addition to COLTs and COWs, among other deployable assets, FirstNet also has an amphibious vehicle, the Hydratrek, which could come in handy for Hurricane Helene.

The Hydratrek is an amphibious vehicle that can transport fuel, equipment and passengers during natural disasters. (Source: AT&T)

The Hydratrek works on both land and water and can transport fuel, equipment and passengers, explained Adley. The Hydratrek can also transport a Compact Rapid Deployable (CRD), one of the more portable connectivity assets which can also be hitched to a truck.

Compact Rapid Deployables (CRD) are one of the more portable connectivity assets to support emergency services. (Source: AT&T)

ROG the Dog

Providing public safety support can, of course, take a toll on first responders' mental and physical health. ROG rounds out its crew with "ROG the Dog" therapy dogs – a team of 34 goldendoodles tasked with decreasing stress and improving morale for first responders.

ROG the Dog is part of a team of 34 goldendoodles tasked with decreasing stress and improving morale for first responders. (Source: AT&T)

"We've been in dispatch centers. We've been to funerals. We've supported first responders during that need. And we can bring in what we call our therapy dog, or 'ROG the Dog,' and ... it's another service that we provide to our partners within the first responder communities," explained Adley.

Verizon and T-Mobile's first responder networks

While AT&T FirstNet is a government entity, both Verizon and T-Mobile have deployed their own commercial services to prioritize connectivity to first responders – dubbed Verizon Frontline and T-Priority, respectively. T-Priority was launched earlier this month and will begin service in New York City using a 5G network slice to support first responders, backed by T-Mobile's 5G standalone core network.

In 2023, Verizon said it had around 5.1 million public safety connections across more than 30,000 public safety agencies.

Update: Verizon told Light Reading it now has over 40,000 Frontline subscribers.

As of Q2 2024, AT&T has over 6.1 million FirstNet Connections across 28,500 public safety agencies and organizations.