FirstNet expands 5G and in-building connectivity for first responders

DALLAS – Expanding 5G on FirstNet, the only network built with and for the nation's first responders: Now, public safety in more than 40 cities – including Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis – can access AT&T mid-band 5G+ spectrum to get the early benefits of its ultra-fast connectivity in a way that meets their unique mission needs. That means first responders in about 100 markets across the country have access to at least 1 of the 3 flavors of 5G (using low-, mid- and high-band spectrum) we're delivering on FirstNet.

Boosting dedicated in-building connectivity where public safety needs it most: Following the network investment from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), qualified first responder agencies on FirstNet can now get Cell Booster Pros for use in areas where they've previously experienced connectivity challenges – all at no cost to them. It's just one more way our unprecedented public-private partnership is strengthening public safety's command and control of their network.

The Cell Booster Pro is an enterprise-grade mini cell site that provides reliable connectivity for public safety on FirstNet, as well as employees and visitors on the AT&T commercial network. The Cell Booster Pro transmits public safety's high-quality Band 14 spectrum as well as AT&T commercial LTE. With the ability to mesh 3 of these mini cell sites within a building, agencies can increase coverage by up to 45,000 square feet, supporting nearly 200 users. Thousands of devices are available to first responder agencies across the country – all at no additional cost to them.

Enhancing 9-1-1 resiliency across Tennessee: We are also uniquely positioned to equip 9-1-1 call centers, or public safety answering points (PSAPs), and first responders with an integrated infrastructure that allows them to be more flexible, resilient and agile. That's why we integrated AT&T ESInet with the FirstNet network to extend network connectivity to remote PSAPs that are either hard to reach or experiencing an outage. And the State of Tennessee is leading the country in deploying this innovative solution at every PSAP across the state. This further protects the nearly 7 million people who call the Volunteer State home.

Interoperability with FirstNet enables redundancy, resiliency and agility with AT&T ESInet so that PSAPs can focus on keeping their communities safe. If AT&T ESInet detects a disruption to the primary connection of a 9-1-1 call center, it will automatically route 9-1-1 calls over the FirstNet network to a remote PSAP. This integration strengthens PSAPs to maintain operations and creates a path for future Next Generation 9-1-1 technologies, including videos and images. These technologies allow PSAPs to coordinate with first responders more efficiently, improve situational awareness and reduce response times.

Why is this important? AT&T is the only carrier that can provide end-to-end emergency communication solutions, from 9-1-1 to dispatch to response. And as public safety's partner, it's about where first responders need connectivity. Emergencies are unpredictable and during these critical moments, the public safety community needs reliable, interoperable communications. Today, more than 21,800 agencies and organizations – accounting for 3.7 million connections1 – use FirstNet to stay mission-ready. We've seen significant growth in FirstNet because the public safety community recognizes commercial networks aren't designed to properly handle the specific and niche demands of first responders. And commercial networks are not subject to the rigorous level of oversight and accountability by the federal government. That's why public safety has FirstNet.

Read the full press release here.

AT&T