FirstNet, built in partnership with AT&T, said yesterday the carrier is expanding 5G on the agency’s network in Tennessee. The carrier is boosting its dedicated in-building connectivity and enhancing 911 resiliency across Tennessee with FirstNet as a wireless backup.
The program is now in more than 40 cities, including Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Seattle and St. Louis. First responders in those markets can access AT&T mid-band 5G+ spectrum to get the early benefits of its ultra-fast connectivity, according to AT&T. That means first responders in about 100 markets have access to at least one of the three flavors of 5G (using low-, mid- and high-band spectrum) FirstNet is delivering.
AT&T is also boosting dedicated in-building connectivity where public safety needs it most. Qualified first responder agencies on FirstNet can now get Cell Booster Pros for use in areas where they’ve previously experienced connectivity challenges – at no cost to them.
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 three of these mini cell sites within a building, agencies can increase coverage by up to 45,000 square feet, supporting nearly 200 users, according to the carrier.
AT&T is also equipping 911 call centers and first responders with an integrated infrastructure that allows them to be more flexible, resilient and agile. The carrier integrated AT&T ESInet with the FirstNet network to extend network connectivity to remote 911 call centers that are either hard to reach or experiencing an outage. Tennessee is deploying this solution at every 911 call center across the state.
If AT&T ESInet detects a disruption to the primary connection of a 911 call center, it will automatically route calls over the FirstNet network to a remote 911 call center. This integration strengthens the call centers to maintain operations and creates a path for future Next Generation 911 technologies, including videos and images, according to AT&T. These technologies allow call centers to coordinate with first responders more efficiently and reduce response times.
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