It’s been just over a month since AT&T was officially awarded the FirstNet build contract, but the pair have reportedly “hit the ground running.”
FirstNet CEO Mike Poth in a Monday blog post outlined some of the strides the pair have made in the first 30 days, as well as upcoming milestones the partners expect to hit. So far, Poth said FirstNet has collaborated with AT&T and its build team to get moving on state plans and the development of the online portal that will be used to deliver said plans to the states and territories. Poth said discussions about FirstNet’s core network architecture have also been broached.
As far as timelines, Poth reaffirmed a previously disclosed June milestone for delivery of draft state plans. Both AT&T and FirstNet representatives have said before that the opt-in process for states is expected to continue through the fall into the fourth quarter.
Also on the list is upcoming availability of AT&T’s LTE network for first responders, which is expected before the year is out.
“One of the key benefits that this public-private partnership will make available to public safety is the availability of quality of service and priority access once a governor accepts the FirstNet State Plan (‘opt in’), with preemption services expected to be made available on all AT&T LTE bands as soon as the end of this year,” Poth wrote. “These features will become available over existing AT&T LTE bands nationwide while FirstNet deploys Band 14 for public safety. This will dramatically increase the capacity available to public safety without having to wait for the availability of Band 14. It will provide first responders with unprecedented access to the Network when the need arises without impact or competition from commercial customers.”
Poth noted the partnership with AT&T also brings the benefits of economies of scale. These will be utilized down the line to deliver “an app and device ecosystem tailored to public safety.”
“We look forward to providing a number of other unique capabilities that meet public safety’s needs for the Network, such as a dedicated help desk. Public safety works 24/7/365, so they need an ‘always on’ specialized customer service experience that understands their unique operating environment,” Poth added. “FirstNet will be providing more details to the states on these and other solution features – such as coverage information – as we engage with them on the state plans.”
Filed Under: Infrastructure
